I  I  1 1 1 1  I  I  I  1 1  I  I  I  1 1  i  1 1 


THE  UPPER 
CRUST 

CHARLES 
SHERMAN 


n  i  i  i  .n-n-rT-n  i  r 


jg^^^L^ 


'Molly,  Molly,"  he  whispered. 


THE  UPPER  CRUST 


By 
CHARLES  SHERMAN 


Author  of 
He  Comes  Up  Smiling 


WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY 

ARTHUR  WILLIAM  BROWN 


INDIANAPOLIS 

THE  BOBBS-MERRILL  COMPANY 
PUBLISHERS 


COPYRIGHT  1913 
THE  BOBBS- MERRILL  COMPANY 


PRESS    OF 

BRAUNWORTH    &    CO. 

BOOKBINDERS    AND    PRINTERS 

BROOKLYN,    N.   Y. 


CONTENTS 

P«c 

Chapter  1 

I    To  THE  MONEY  BORN 

II    IN  THE  ROSE-GARDEN 

III  BEAUTY  IN  DISTRESS 

IV  A  SLIGHT  MISTAKE       ...••• 
V    Two  DIPS  IN  THE  SEA 

VI  THE  WOMAN  OF  IT 

VII  BILLS,  BILLS,  BILLS       .        .        • 

VIII  CROSS-EXAMINATION 

IX  ENDEARING  YOUNG  CHARMS  .... 

X  A  WOMAN'*  JOKE 207 

775 

XI    THE  STRANGER 

044 
XII    SOMEWHAT  AWKWARD 

XIII  WHEN  You  ARE  POOR 267 

XIV  A  WOMAN'S  REASON 287 

•£4 

XV    LOVE  OR  MONEY 

uf> 
XVI    MOLLY  DARLING 

344 

IXVII    SUSPICION 

XVIII    THE  WEAK  LINK 

XIX    WITH  ALL  HER  FAULTS 389 


THE  UPPER  CRUST 


THE  UPPER  CRUST 


CHAPTER  I 

TO  THE   MONEY  BORN 

AGERNON  adjusted  his  single  eye-glass  and 
gazed  pensively  into  the  rose-garden  where 
his  mother's  maid,  with  Irish  blue  eyes  and  a  bit  of 
a  brogue,  was  gathering  roses  for  her  mistress  to 
take  to  the  hospital  on  her  daily  charitable  round. 
Mrs.  Todd  sat  at  her  desk  and  regarded  her  son's 
back  with  stern  disapproval.  She  was  talking  and 
emphasizing  each  of  her  remarks  with  a  little  rap  of 
the  paper-cutter. 

"No  wonder  life  is  a  burden  to  you,  Algernon." 
"It  isn't,  mama,"  returned  Algernon  cheerfully, 
reassuringly.  "Wealth,"  he  added  with  gentle  elo- 
quence, turning  a  moment  from  his  contemplation 
of  the  girl  in  the  sunshine  among  the  roses  to  re- 
gard his  mother  in  mild  benevolence,  "wealth  is  the 
express  wagon  for  most  of  the  burdens  of  life." 

Mrs.  Todd  frowned.   "That  is  precisely  my  objec- 
tion, Algernon,  to  your  way  of  living.    You  think 

I 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

because  you  have  wealth  that  nothing  is  required 
of  you." 

"Nothing  is,  mama,  but  my  wealth,"  and  Alger- 
non heaved  a  gentle  sigh. 

"You  know  that  that  is  not  so,  Algernon.  Even 
if  you  are  rich,  you  are  a  man  and  the  world  re- 
quires you  to  play  the  part  of  one.  You  should  have 
something  to  live  for  and  work  for,  something  worth 
while.  You  dawdle  time  away  like  so  much  rubbish. 
Why  should  your  life,  you,  yourself,  be  absolutely 
worthless  just  because  your  parents  are  rich? 
You  are  thoroughly  lazy,  Algernon,  just  as  lazy  as 
one  of  these  tramps  you  can  see  any  day,  sleeping 
by  the  roadside.  There  is  no  difference  between  you. 
They  refuse  to  work  and  so  do  you.  You  are  as 
worthless  as  they  are.  Can't  you  see  it?  Can't  you 
feel  it?  I  am  very  firm  about  this,  Algernon,  for  it 
touches  me  so  deeply." 

"That's  a  deuced  pretty  girl,"  said  Algernon. 
"Jove,  mama,  I  admire  a  pretty  face." 

"Algernon,  have  you  been  listening  to  me?" 

"Yes,  indeed.  Heard  every  word  you  said.  If 
you  are  through,  I  think  I  shall  do  as  the  song  says, 
go  gather  the  rosebuds  while  I  may."  And  hum- 
ming softly,  he  fumbled  with  the  latch  of  the  French 
window. 

2 


TO    THE    MONEY    BORN 

Mrs.  Todd  prided  herself  on  her  self-control. 
"Algernon,"  said  she  coldly,  politely  suppressed,  "if 
it  will  not  interfere  with  your  pleasure  too  much,  I 
simply  request  that  you  kindly  wait  until  I  am 
through  talking  with  you." 

Algernon  turned  sweetly.  "That's  all  '  right, 
mama.  Don't  apologize.  I  would  just  as  lief  wait 
as  not."  He  removed  his  glass,  wiped  it  carefully 
and  replaced  it  with  a  contented  sigh. 

"Algernon,  I  would  like  your  entire  attention. 
Kindly  take  that  chair  and  stop  ogling  my  maid." 

Algernon  sank  into  a  more  comfortable  chair  than 
the  one  his  mother  indicated,  tucked  some  pillows 
behind  his  back  and  smiled  sweetly,  cheerfully.  "I 
shall  take  this  one  if  you  do  not  mind,"  said  he. 
"And  if  it  is  all  the  same  to  you,  mama,  I  shall  smoke 
and  then  we  shall  both  be  comfortable  and  can  enjoy 
a  long  chat."  He  drew  out  a  little  gold  cigarette 
case,  selected  a  cigarette  with  great  care,  lighted  it 
and  leaned  back.  "Ah,"  he  sighed  contentedly, 
"cigarettes  and  being  in  love,  which  is  the  more  fas- 
cinating? But  go  on,  mama.  You  were  saying?" 

"I  was  saying  that  you  are  thoroughly  lazy  and 
shiftless,"  snapped  the  good  lady.  "Algernon,  why 
don't  you  make  something  of  yourself  and  your  op- 
portunities?" 

3 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

Algernon  waved  his  hand.  "That  is  just  the  trou- 
ble, mama,  I  have  no  opportunities.  An  opportunity 
is  simply  the  chance  to  make  money  or  obtain  fame. 
I  have  all  the  money  I  want,  and  what  is  fame?" 
He  half  closed  his  eyes,  wafted  a  little  cloud  of 
smoke  upward  and  smiled  thoughtfully  as  it  hung 
in  mid-air,  a  perfect  ring,  before  slowly  disappear- 
ing. 

"Tell  me,  Algernon,  in  what  way  are  you  any  bet- 
ter than  one  of  the  toughs  you  see  on  the  benches 
in  the  park  warm  afternoons,  while  his  poor  wife  is 
taking  in  washing  so  the  lout  can  have  money  for  his 
tobacco  ?" 

"Give  it  up,"  said  Algernon.  "I  was  never  strong 
on  conundrums." 

"I  am  serious,  Algernon.  Please  do  me  the  honor 
of  being  so,  too.  Your  flippancy  is  uncalled  for. 
This  is  the  most  important  time  of  your  life,  the 
time  when  you  can  choose  your  future,  can  take 
what  road  you  want.  Later,  it  will  be  impossible. 
You  will  have  to  follow  for  good  or  evil  the  path 
you  choose  now,  in  your  youth.  If  you  have  no  am- 
bition for  yourself,  I  ask  you  to  have  some  for  me. 
I  want  to  see  you  something  more  than  a  lazy  good- 
for-nothing  nonenity  like  the  rest  of  the  crowd  you 
persist  in  going  with.  Have  you  no  ambition?" 

4 


TO    THE    MONEY    BORN 

"It  is  so  warm.  In  winter  I  am  ambitious,  mama, 
and  you  know  it.  Last  winter  I  made  the  polo  team 
in  southern  California  and  the  winter  before  I  won 
the  pennant  in  the  Florida-Bermuda  races.  Some 
fellows  go  in  for  summer  sports,  I  know,  but  just 
as  soon  as  it  gets  warm,  I  lose  all  desire  to  shine." 

"You  know  quite  well  that  I  do  not  mean  any  of 
those  things,  Algernon.  Sport  is  only  the  rich  man's 
excuse  to  kill  time.  By  ambition,  I  mean  the  desire 
to  do  something  fine  that  will  bring  honor  to  our 
name  and  will  give  me  reason  to  be  proud  of  you." 

"What  do  you  want  me  to  do?"  asked  Algernon, 
politely  concealing  a  yawn  behind  his  long  white 
hand. 

"Get  a  place  in  the  office,  write,  take  an  interest 
in  the  political  affairs  of  the  day.  Do  something, 
anything,  that  men  are  doing,  and  stop  imitating 
bums  and  hoboes." 

"If  I  entered  the  office,  I  would  cut  some  poor 
devil  out  of  a  job  who  needed  it  more  than  I  do." 

"Write,  then." 

"What  shall  I  write?  A  sonnet  to  a  tumbled  mass 
of  soft  black  hair  and  eyes  of  limpid  blue?"  and  Al- 
gernon, knocking  the  ashes  from  the  end  of  his 
cigarette,  glanced  toward  the  garden.  But  the  place 
was  now  deserted  save  for  the  roses  and  the  bees. 

5 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

Mrs.  Todd  rose,  displeasure  and  disapproval  on 
her  sweet,  little,  flushed  face.  She  glanced  at  her 
watch,  gathered  up  her  papers  and  moved  toward 
the  door.  "I  am  seriously  displeased  with  you,  Al- 
gernon," said  she.  "I  thought  that  after  you  re- 
turned from  California  we  should  talk  things  over 
and  come  to  some  agreement.  You  have  had  a  year 
of  fun,  and  though  you  only  came  home  last  night, 
there  is  no  reason  why  we  should  put  the  talk  off. 
But  when  I  am  serious,  you  are  flippant;  when  I  am 
anxious  about  your  future  with  a  mother's  anxiety, 
you  make  a  jest  of  it.  Look  at  me.  I  am  a  busy  con- 
tented woman.  Why  ?  Because  I  have  a  serious  pur- 
pose in  life.  I  do  not  fool  away  all  my  time  at  the 
card-table.  I  am  a  member  of  several  very  worthy 
clubs  to  help  the  working  girls  and  poor  children." 
"I  know,"  interrupted  Algernon  gently,  "but  why 
the  clubs?" 

"Why  the  clubs  ?"  repeated  his  mother. 
"Yes.   What  need  are  they  ?" 
"Why,  Algernon,  to  help,  to  assist — " 
"I  know,  mama.    But  why  can't  you  personally 
just  give?   Then  you  wouldn't  be  tempted  to  think 
so  much  about  what  both  your  hands  are  doing  at 
once,  according  to  the  secretary's  minutes." 

6 


TO    THE    MONEY    BORN 

"Why,  Algernon,  that's  ridiculous.  There  have  to 
be  clubs.  Every  one  belongs  to  a  club.  You  have  to 
if  you  want  to  do  good." 

"What  club  did  Christ  belong  to  ?"  asked  Alger- 
non, leaning  forward. 

Mrs.  Todd  flushed.  "Algernon,"  said  she  sternly, 
"you  are  sacrilegious  and  I  can  not  stand  it." 

Algernon  sighed  wearily  and  leaned  back  among 
the  cushions  of  his  chair.  "Excuse  me,  mama.  You 
were  saying — " 

"I  was  saying  how  I  spend  my  time.  I  read  and 
keep  up  with  all  the  big  questions  of  the  day.  I 
study  Spanish  and  horticulture,  and  still  have  time 
to  go  to  concerts  and  lectures  and  the  opera.  I  eat 
well,  sleep  well  and  feel  like  a  young  girl.  Look 
at  yourself,  older  and  more  blase  than  your  mother, 
tired  with  life  before  it  has  more  than  begun.  I  tell 
you,  Algernon,  if  you  do  a  man's  work  in  the  world, 
you  will  feel  like  a  boy.  I  am  going  now  to  visit  a 
hospital  I  am  interested  in.  My  maid,"  she  added 
sternly,  "goes  with  me.  When  I  return,  we  shall  dis- 
cuss this  more  thoroughly.  I  have  made  up  my 
mind,  very  firmly,  Algernon,  that  something  must 
be  done.  If  you  do  not  care  to  exert  yourself  in  any 
way,  I  shall  simply  have  to  cut  down  your  allow- 

7 


THE    UPPER   CRUST 

ance,  until  you  show  yourself  worthy  of  a  bigger 
one.  I  hope  when  I  return,  you  will  have  determined 
on  something." 

"Don't  hurry  back  on  my  account,  mama." 

"Your  flippancy,  Algernon,  does  not  affect  me  one 
way  or  the  other.  I  mean  it  when  I  say  that  I  ex- 
pect to  find  that  you  have  decided  upon  something 
by  the  time  I  come  home." 

"I  shall  have,"  Algernon  reassured  her  cheerfully. 
"Mama,  have  you  one  of  those  pictures  of  me  on  my 
polo  pony  ?  Gracie  Tucker — " 

"I  have  no  picture  of  you,  Algernon."  Mrs.  Todd 
paused  half-way  across  the  room  and  waved  her 
hand  around.  "Look.  Not  a  picture  of  you  in  the 
whole  house,  but  your  childhood  pictures.  All  the 
others  you  have  taken  away  at  one  time  or  another 
to  give  to  some  girl.  None  of  them  cares  for  you. 
All  they  want  is  your  money.  Why  don't  you  send 
them  a  picture  of  a  gold  certificate  or  a  double  eagle? 
It  would  not  be  half  so  affected  or  hypocritical." 

"You  flatter  me,"  murmured  Algernon. 

"Some  day,"  snapped  his  mother,  for  there  is 
nothing  so  irritating  as  continual  good  nature  in  an 
opponent,  "some  day  you  will  be  married  to  a 
chorus  girl  who  will  endure  you  for  a  year  for  the 
sake  of  the  alimony  she  will  get." 

8 


TO    THE    MONEY    BORN 

"Truth  crushes  to  earth  and  we  writhe  in  pain." 

"I  do  not  mean  to  be  unkind,  dear,  but  the  class 
of  girls  you  go  with  only  cares  for  your  money. 
Give  it  to  them,  and  they  won't  miss  you  at  all." 

"Do  you  want  to  bet,  mama?" 

"I  do  not  care  to  take  your  money,  Algernon. 
You  would  simply  borrow  it  back  again." 

"Not  for  some  time.  Poor  old  Jimmy  paid  up 
some  of  his  honest  debts  this  morning." 

"Algernon,  will  nothing  make  you  work?" 

"I  am  going  to  work,  now.  Where  is  your  paper? 
May  I  have  a  little  of  it  ?  I  am  going  to  write  a — er 
— a  sonnet — " 

Mrs.  Todd  swept  from  the  room. 

After  an  hour  of  hard  mental  labor,  Algernon 
laid  down  his  pen  and  read  and  reread  in  pleased 
surprise  the  result  of  his  work. 


"With  hair  as  black  as  the  devil's  heart, 

And  eyes  of  blue,  true  blue, 
In  whose  darkling  depths  I  lose  my  soul, 
Whenever  I  come  to  woo; 


"With  skin  as  white  as  a  virgin's  thoughts, 

And  lips  like  a  scarlet  bow, 
For  whose  storehouse  of  honeyed  sweetness 
Mine  own  are  longing  so; 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"With  teeth  as  bright  as  a  woman's  wit, 
And  a  voice  like  the  lark's  clear  call, 
You  keep  me  a  humble  captive 
And  lo,  at  your  feet,  I  fall. 

"With  hands  as  small  as  my  hopes,  dear, 

And  feet  like  a  sculptor's  dream, 
No  wonder  you  frighten  me  silent, 
And  I  like  a  coward  seem." 


He  folded  the  verses  carefully  and  slipped  them 
into  his  pocket.  "Not  half  bad,"  he  decided,  com- 
placently lighted  a  cigarette  and  strolled  out  to  the 
rose-garden. 

The  air  was  heavy  with  the  fragrance  of  lilacs 
and  honeysuckle,  mingled  with  the  faint  warm 
odor  of  roses.  The  bees  buzzed  drowsily,  and  a  cat, 
curled  up  on  the  sun-dial,  purred  in  a  deep  con- 
tented undertone. 

"Dear  mama  seemed  really  in  earnest  this  time," 
thought  Algernon,  pushing  his  hat  on  the  back  of 
his  head.  "I  think  I  shall  take  a  little  walk  and  try 
to  forget  it.  To  forget,"  he  sighed,  "man's  one  de- 
fense against  the  opposite  sex." 

He  strolled  across  the  lawn  to  a  small  gate  in  the 
high  brick  wall  and  through  the  gate  into  the  dusty 
country  road.  The  road  was  empty.  Opposite  was 
a  low  stone  fence,  beyond  a  pasture,  and  farther  on 

10 


TO   THE    MONEY    BORN 

a  grove  of  willows,  bordering  a  stream  that  wound 
through  the  pasture  and  beside  the  road  between 
mossy  ferny  banks.  A  cow  stood  looking  over  the 
wall,  and  Algernon  raised  his  hat  to  her. 

"Howdy-do,"  said  he  gaily. 

The  cow  waved  her  tail  languidly  and  chewed 
placidly  on. 

The  road,  winding  between  fields  of  June's  vivid 
green,  beneath  the  interlocked  boughs  of  great  ma- 
ples, looked  invitingly  cool  on  the  warm  day.  The 
little  brook  laughed  and  babbled  beside  it,  and  the 
birds  called  joyously  from  the  leafy  profusion  over 
head.  Algernon  strolled  on,  pondering  his  mother's 
painful  remarks.  He  had  heard  them  all  before, 
quite  often,  but  the  insistence,  the  determination, 
had  never  been  so  pronounced  as  to-day.  It  grieved 
Algernon.  He  realized  so  clearly  his  own  limita- 
tions, his  dead  level  with  the  rest  of  humanity  in 
everything  but  money.  His  mother  wanted  him  to 
make  a  name  for  himself,  when,  like  the  large  major- 
ity of  his  fellow  citizens,  he  had  no  ability  to  do  so. 
She  wanted  him  to  work  when  he  had  no  incentive 
to  work.  His  father  had  taken  it  from  him  by  the 
fortune  he  had  left. 

"That  cow,"  mused  Algernon,  with  a  deeper  in- 
sight into  life  than  his  mother's,  "that  cow  wouldn't 

ii 


THE    UPPER   CRUST 

walk  around  and  around  the  pasture  if  she  did  not 
have  an  incentive  to  do  so,  even  if  it  is  only  hunger, 
which,  after  all,  is  the  fundamental  incentive  of 
everything  living.  When  her  hunger  is  appeased, 
the  incentive  removed,  she  does  nothing.  If  I  were 
a  cow,  mama  would  probably  insist  even  then  that  I 
keep  on  walking  around  the  pasture  for  nothing, 
while  she  would  be  bemoaning  the  fact  that  I  wasn't 
a  trick  cow.  Every  cow  can't  be  a  trick  cow.  Mama 
is  illogical,  like  all  women." 

The  road  turned  sharply  and  entered  a  deep  grove 
of  trees,  cool  and  dark,  where  the  birds'  chatter  rose 
and  fell  in  busy  excitement.  A  pedler's  wagon,  neat 
and  red,  with  an  iron  railing  around  the  top,  with- 
in which  enclosure  reposed  several  square  leather 
cases,  and  with  two  sleek  fat  horses  in  front,  was 
drawn  up  by  the  wayside.  A  third  horse,  saddled 
and  bridled  and  hitched  to  the  hind  off  wheel,  dozed 
with  drooping  head  and  half-shut  eyes. 

On  a  log  near  by  sat  the  pedler,  a  long  lank 
youth,  and  beside  him  sat  Algernon's  friend,  James 
— or  Jimmy — Mortimer  Worth.  James  was  short 
and  fat.  The  stranger  was  long  and  thin.  James' 
hair  was  light,  brushed,  smooth  and  damp,  on  each 
side  of  his  broad  fair  forehead,  parted  down  the 
middle  with  mathematical  precision  and  the  skill  of 

12 


TO    THE    MONEY    BORN 

a  competent  man  servant.  The  stranger's  hair  was 
thick  and  black,  falling  over  his  high  forehead  in 
poetical  disarray.  James'  face  was  round  and  pink, 
with  a  fat  little  mouth  and  mild  blue  eyes  that  re- 
garded one  with  the  frank  and  charming  gravity 
of  a  child.  The  stranger's  was  long,  hollow- 
cheeked,  sallow.  His  mouth  was  thin-lipped,  with 
an  odd  unintentionally  humorous  twist  at  one  cor- 
ner. His  eyes,  deep-set,  dark  and  keen,  had  a  devil- 
may-care  twinkle  in  their  somber  depths  that  light- 
ened the  moroseness  of  the  heavy  brows  and  the  firm 
square  jaw.  James  was  dressed  with  immaculate 
care  in  the  latest  thing  in  riding  clothes.  The 
stranger's  shirt  was  a  negligee,  with  a  soft  Byron- 
esque  tie.  A  duster  enveloped  him,  and  a  cheap 
straw  hat  of  the  Panama  variety  was  pushed  on 
the  back  of  his  head. 

James  looked  up  as  Algernon  approached  and 
waved  to  him  to  stop. 

"Hullo,"  said  he. 

"Hullo,"  said  Algernon.   "Pleasant  day." 

"Yes,"  agreed  James,  his  thoughts  clearly  on 
other  and  weightier  matters.  "Let  me  introduce  you 
two.  Mr.  Todd,  Mr.  Joseph  Holmes." 

The  stranger  held  out  a  long  thin  hand,  and  Al- 
gernon grasped  it. 

13 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"Howdy-do,"  said  Algernon.  "How  do  you  like 
this  part  of  the  country?" 

"Can't  say,"  drawled  Mr.  Holmes.  "I  have  just 
come." 

"Going  to  be  here  long?" 

"As  long  as  I  want." 

"That's  the  way  I  usually  stay  anywhere.  It 
doesn't  pay  to  grow  to  hate  a  place  by  staying  there 
too  long.  It  isn't  the  place's  fault.  It  may  hate  you 
as  much  as  you  do  it." 

"Just  so." 

"Life's  too  short  to  hate  anything,"  said  Jimmy 
happily. 

"Except  work,"  agreed  Mr.  Holmes. 

Algernon  nodded.  "You  are  right.  Work  is  like 
gossip,  a  little  of  it  goes  a  great  ways.  Besides,  work 
is  a  sign  of  mediocrity.  The  very  high  and  the  very 
low  do  not  work.  Why  be  mediocre?" 

"Why,  indeed?"  drawled  Mr.  Holmes. 

"I  am  thinking  up  arguments  for  my  mother,"  ex- 
plained Algernon.  "She  has  a  peculiar  partiality 
for  work — for  me.  Why  should  I  work?  If  I  do,  I 
will  be  taking  the  bread  out  of  the  mouth  of  some 
poor  devil  who  never  did  me  any  harm.  I  could  get 
a  job  anywhere  because  I  do  not  look  as  if  I  needed 
one,  while  some  one,  whose  very  life  depended 

14 


TO    THE    MONEY    BORN 

on  getting  a  place,  would  have  to  go  hungry  or 
take  a  short  cut,  by  the  suicide  route,  to  a  happier 
land  than  this." 

"Heaven  or  hell  or  the  ground,"  agreed  Mr. 
Holmes,  "any  would  be  a  change  for  the  better." 

"I  am  contented  and  happy,"  went  on  Algernon, 
lighting  a  cigarette  absent-mindedly.  "If  I  worked, 
I  would  be  neither.  To  keep  happy  and  contented 
is  a  duty  we  all  owe  to  humanity." 

"Just  so,"  agreed  Mr.  Holmes. 

"One  should  do  one's  duty  bravely  and  uncom- 
plainingly," declared  Algernon,  with  a  slight  ges- 
ture of  his  cigarette,  leaving  a  tiny  trail  of  smoke  on 
the  warm  sweet  air.  "Therefore,  I  must  refuse  to 
enter  the  office." 

"Choose  prison,  rather,"  advised  Mr.  Holmes  in 
the  tones  of  one  experienced  in  that  upon  which  he 
spoke,  "then  you  won't  have  to  worry  about  losing 
your  job." 

"If  I  write,"  mused  Algernon  modestly,  "I  would 
simply  be  exposing  myself  as  a  candidate  for  the 
nearest  insane  asylum." 

"Yes,"  said  Jimmy  earnestly,  "don't  write." 

"A  bug-house  isn't  so  bad,"  said  Mr.  Holmes. 
"You  don't  have  to  work." 

"I  know,"  agreed  Algernon,  "and  your  associates 

15 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

would  be  interesting  and  original,  but  you  couldn't 
travel." 

"Not  without  a  keeper,"  admitted  Mr.  Holmes. 

"I  have  too  much  respect  for  oratory  to  counte- 
nance its  abuse  by  entering  politics,"  concluded  Al- 
gernon with  a  sigh.  He  dismissed  the  subject  with 
a  wave  of  the  hand  and  turned  to  the  stranger. 
"Come  very  far?"  he  asked. 

"Since  when?  I've  come  from  a  good  many 
places." 

"Go  wherever  you  damn  please,  don't  you?" 

"Mostly." 

"Jove!  And  haven't  a  worry  in  the  world,  I 
suppose !" 

"Shouldn't  imagine  you  would  have  many,"  re- 
turned Mr.  Holmes,  glancing  from  the  light  gray 
pumps  with  the  rim  of  pale  blue  silk  stockings  to  the 
soft  Panama  with  its  corresponding  band  of  light 
blue  silk  that  adorned  Algernon's  person. 

"I  have,  mother,"  said  Algernon  with  a  sigh. 

"You're  of  age,  aren't  you?" 

"Not  to  mother." 

"Master  of  a  million  or  two?"  questioned  Mr. 
Holmes  enviously. 

"Unfortunately,  no,"  replied  Algernon.  "Not  un- 
til I  am  twenty-five,  a  year  yet.  Twelve  months 

16 


more  of  arguing.    Mother  wants  me  to  sit  at  a  desk 
all  day,  putting  down  foolish  marks  on  a  paper,  for 
ten  dollars  a  week.     I  get  five  hundred  dollars  a 
week  now.     What  do  I  want  ten  more  for?" 
.  "For  the  good  of  your  soul,"  said  Jimmy. 

"My  soul's  worth  more,"  sneered  Algernon. 

"For  the  good  of  your  mind,"  suggested  Mr. 
Holmes. 

"I  have  none,"  said  Algernon.  "Don't  you  see, 
that's  the  trouble?  If  I  don't  endure  physical  con- 
finement nine  hours  a  day  at  the  price  of  ten  useless 
dollars  a  week,  I  must  be  famous,  or  else  my  allow- 
ance will  be  cut  in  two,  maybe  quartered.  I  can't  be 
famous.  I  don't  say  this  in  any  mock  humility.  I 
really  feel  it,  am  quite  convinced  I  have  nothing  fa- 
mous in  me.  And  yet,  think  of  having  your  allow- 
ance cut  in  half !" 

"You  might  possibly  be  able  to  struggle  along," 
suggested  Mr.  Holmes  encouragingly. 

"I  suppose  so,  but  it'd  be  deuced  hard,"  sighed 
Algernon. 

"Come  with  me,"  said  Jimmy  kindly.  "I  have 
bought  Mr.  Holmes'  outfit  and  am  going  to  try  ped- 
ling  for  a  change." 

"Jove!"  exclaimed  Algernon,  and  gazed  at  his 
friend  in  surprised  admiration. 

17 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

Jimmy  flushed  modestly.  "You  see,  I  get  so  tired 
of  Bar  Harbor  and  automobile  tours.  I  had  to  do 
something  different  this  summer,  or — or,  by  George, 
Algy,  I  would  go  dippy  with  the  insipidness  of  our 
bunch !  The  only  change  about  them  is  their  clothes." 

"And  that's  generally  for  the  worst,"  agreed  Al- 
gernon. 

"Always,"  said  Jimmy.  "Well,  I  met  Mr.  Holmes 
and  we  got  to  talking  and  all  of  a  sudden  the  idea 
came  to  me.  I'm  going  to  travel  this  summer,  but 
I'm  not  going  to  hit  a  hillock  now  and  then  in  an 
auto.  No,  by  George,  I'm  going  to  see  the  country 
and  the  people  and  I'm  going  to  get  acquainted  with 
them!  I'm  an  American  and  I'm  going  to  know 
Americans,  not  foreigners,  me  Lud  So  and  So,  His 
Grace,  the  Duke  of  This  and  That." 

"Jove!"  repeated  Algernon,  as  Jimmy's  round 
fat  face  glowed  with  fervor  and  his  kindly  little  blue 
eyes  flashed  boyishly. 

"I'm  going  to  start  to-morrow  morning  early," 
said  he.  "Will  you  come  with  me?" 

"To  the  ends  of  the  world,  Jimmy,  old  chap,"  said 
Algernon,  and  he  grasped  Jimmy's  soft  plump 
hand. 


CHAPTER  II 

IN  THE  ROSE-GARDEN 

A'  five,  Mrs.  Todd  had  returned  and  ordered  tea 
served  in  the  garden.  She  was  worried  and 
unhappy.  Her  charitable  visits  had  only  served  to 
divert  her  thoughts  for  the  time  being  from  the  fu- 
ture of  her  son.  She  leaned  back  in  her  low  chair 
under  the  willows  and  sought  to  concentrate  her 
mind  on  a  copy  of  Don  Quixote  in  the  original,  but 
the  foolish  knight  and  his  Dulcinea  seemed  to  em- 
body the  likeness  of  her  son  and  she  laid  the  book 
down  with  a  sigh  and  gave  herself  up  to  vain  long- 
ings and  gloomy  forebodings.  If  Algernon  would 
only  do  something!  She  did  not  care  what,  so  long 
as  it  was  useful  and  could  not  be  contaminated  by 
the  name  of  sport. 

She  drank  three  cups  of  tea  in  her  anxiety,  though 
firmly  convinced  in  her  more  normal  moments  that 
two  cups  were  criminal  disregard  for  one's  health, 
and  still  Algernon  did  not  come.  He  ought  to  fall 
in  love  with  some  girl  of  the  right  kind,  she  decided, 
a  girl  who  would  stir  him  up  and  make  him  do 

19 


THE    UPPER   CRUST 

something,  not  the  girl  he  always  selected  for  his 
short,  soul-rending,  and  for  the  time  being,  heart- 
breaking, courtships — girls  whose  conception  of  the 
seriousness  of  life  was  as  charmingly  vague  and  as 
hopelessly  inconsequential  as  Algernon's  own. 

"She  must  not  be  poor  and  she  must  not  be  rich," 
thought  Mrs.  Todd,  sipping  her  fourth  cup  of  tea. 
"She  must  be  a  New  England  girl,  no  shiftless 
Southern  girl,  no  flighty  callow  Westerner.  She  must 
have  a  good  strict  bringing-up  and  enough  common 
sense  to  do  for  two.  She  must  be  a  girl  with  a 
serious  purpose  in  life,  a  college  girl,  capable,  cul- 
tured and  interested  actively  in  the  great  move- 
ments of  the  times — suffrage,  child  labor,  charities. 
Where  can  I  find  her,  where  can  I  find  her?  Miss 
Sprague?  Yes,  indeed." 

Then  she  glanced  up  and  saw  Algernon  coming 
across  the  lawn.  He  raised  his  hat  with  the  air  of 
gentle  ennui  that  always  irritated  his  mother,  and 
sank  languidly  into  the  nearest  chair. 

"I  hope  you  had  a  nice  time,  mama,"  said  he,  as 
she  handed  him  his  tea  and  offered  him  the  cakes. 
"You  might  as  well  leave  the  cakes  right  here  on  my 
knee.  It  will  save  us  both  trouble." 

"Algernon,  pray  be  so  good  as  not  -to  call  me 
mama  any  longer.  It  is  positively  foolish  and  I  do 

20 


IN    THE    ROSE-GARDEN 

not  see  why  you  do  it.  It  is  entirely  lacking  in  dig- 
nity and  beauty." 

"Shall  it  be  ma?"  asked  Algernon  gently. 

"Mother.  That  name  is  too  beautiful  to  be  spoilt. 
Beside,  you  are  too  old  to  call  me  by  that  childish 
name,  and  I  am  too  old  to  be  so  called." 

Algernon  leaned  forward  and  laid  his  hand  on 
her  knee  with  an  affectionate  little  caress  of  love, 
his  eyes  full  of  tenderness.  "You  would  be  mama 
for  years  to  come  on  that  ground,"  said  he. 

Mrs.  Todd's  eyes  softened  and  her  resolution  to 
speak  more  sternly  than  ever  upon  the  subject  of 
his  future  nearly  vanished  in  the  rosy  glow  of  love. 
She  shook  her  head  laughingly,  and  helped  herself 
hastily  to  the  cakes  to  regain  her  fast  disappearing 
firmness.  "Have  you  been  thinking  about  that  of 
which  I  spoke  to  you  before  I  went  out  this  after- 
noon, Algernon?"  she  asked,  mildly  determined. 

"I  have,  indeed." 

"And  have  you  come  to  any  conclusion?  Of 
course,  I  do  not  mean  any  definite  decision  as  to  just 
what  you  intend  to  do.  One  can  not  settle  one's  fu- 
ture in  a  day.  But  have  you  made  up  your  mind  to 
do  something  meritorious,  serious,  and  stop  play- 
ing?" 

"I  have,"  said  Algernon. 

21 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

Mrs.  Todd  beamed.  "That  is  good.  We  shall  think 
carefully  for  a  day  or  two  and  then  decide  what  you 
are  best  fitted  to  undertake.  Personally,  I  would  like 
to  see  you  a  statesman.  But  if  you  prefer  to  enter 
the  office — " 

Algernon  waved  the  suggestions  gravely  aside.  "I 
have  decided  to  undertake  some  scientific  researches, 
to  explore — " 

Mrs.  Todd  frowned.  This  savored  of  the  detested 
sports,  and  she  feared  for  the  moment  that  Alger- 
non had  not  yet  received  a  clear  conception  of  what 
she  had  in  mind.  "Do  you  mean  to  climb  the  Alps  ?" 
she  questioned  anxiously. 

Algernon  shook  his  head.  "I  mean,"  said  he, 
pausing  a  moment  to  select  a  cake,  "I  mean  to  go 
out  and  learn  how  the  other  half  lives." 

"I  thought  you  said  explore — " 

"I 'did,  mama.  Explore  the  unknown  world  of 
poverty.  How  can  I  better  dispense  my  fortune 
when  I  get  it  than  by  finding  out  now  who  needs  it 
most?" 

Mrs.  Todd  nodded  doubtfully.  "It  is  always  well 
to  know  who  are  worthy." 

"Just  so.  The  unworthy  can  go  to  hell  for  all  we 
care,  can't  they,  mama  ?" 

22 


IN    THE    ROSE-GARDEN 

"Algernon!" 

"Mama?" 

"Mother!" 

"Mother?" 

"I  am  serious — " 

"And  so  am  I.  What  do  you  and  I  really  know 
about  the  world?  Who  make  the  world,  anyway? 
A  few  wealthy  families  who  have  more  than  the 
Lord  ever  intended  one  man  to  have,  or  the  great 
mass  of  the  people  who  are  too  busy  to  set  up  the 
claim  of  being  the  universe,  as  the  wealthy  do?  I 
am  going  out  to  study  the  world." 

Mrs.  Todd  was  perplexed  and  uncertain.  She 
poured  herself  another  cup  of  tea  and  Algernon 
handed  her  the  cakes.  "If  I  could  only  believe  that 
you  are  serious,  my  son." 

"I  am.  I  leave  to-morrow  morning  early,  and  you 
will  not  see  me  again  for  a  number  of  months.  Pov- 
erty is  a  study  worthy  of  any  one,  mama,  you  must 
admit  that.  Instead  of  going  to  books  for  theories, 
I  am  going  to  learn  about  it  first-hand — " 

"You  said  scientific  researches — " 

Algernon  nodded.  "So  it  is,  the  science  of  soci- 
ology. I  took  a  little  of  it  in  college  and  was  thor- 
oughly depressed — " 

23 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"Depressed,  Algernon?" 

"Impressed,"  corrected  Algernon.  "It  is  a  noble 
study.  Why  don't  you  take  it  up,  mama?" 

"I  may  in  the  fall.  Where  are  you  going?" 

"Anywhere,  everywhere,"  replied  Algernon  with 
an  air  of  busy  importance.  "I  am  going  to  leave  to- 
morrow morning  before  you  are  up.  I  shall  drop  you 
a  line  now  and  then  so  as  to  keep  you  posted  as  to 
where  I  am.  I  shall  be  back  in  the  fall." 

Mrs.  Todd  smiled  with  relief.  Algernon's  tone  of 
responsibility  and  importance  filled  her  with  pleas- 
ure, and  she  congratulated  herself  that  she  had  at 
last  aroused  in  him  a  sense  of  manhood.  "To  be 
occupied  is  to  be  happy,"  said  she.  "I  thought  of 
spending  the  summer  here  and  having  Miss  Sprague 
visit  me,  the  Reverend  Mr.  Sprague's  daughter,  you 
remember,  Algernon.  We  met  her  one  winter  in 
New  York.  She  was  studying  for  her  M.  A.  at  Co- 
lumbia. A  really  sweet  girl !" 

"Yes,"  said  Algernon,  "I  remember  her.  She  is 
the  only  girl  I  have  ever  met  who  said  no  when  I 
asked  her  if  she  would  be  angry  if  I  kissed  her." 

Mrs.  Todd  flushed.  "The  Reverend  Mr.  Sprague's 
daughter,  Algernon?"  she  questioned  in  very  great 
surprise. 

"Yes,"  said  Algernon.  "She  said  that  the  intel- 
24 


IN    THE    ROSE-GARDEN 

lectual  development  of  women  was  the  most  serious 
error  of  the  nineteenth  century." 

"I  think,"  said  Mrs.  Todd,  hastily  changing  the 
subject,  "that,  now  you  are  going  to  be  away,  I  shall 
go  to  Europe  for  a  few  months.  Summer  is  my  time 
to  play  and  amuse  myself.  I  work  all  winter  and 
every  one  must  take  a  rest  for  a  few  months  in  the 
summer.  I  intend,  however,  to  spend  the  fall  in 
Maine  at  that  place  your  father  bought  just  before 
he  died  and  which  we  have  neither  of  us  seen. 
Wouldn't  you  like  that?  It  will  be  such  a  change 
for  both  of  us.  You  will  feel  in  need  of  a  rest  then, 
yourself.  I  have  engaged  a  Miss  O'Toole  to  go 
up  there  and  get  the  place  in  order.  It  will  all  have 
to  be  renovated  carefully,  but  she  can  get  some  vil- 
lage girls  to  help  her  and  ought  to  be  able  to  have 
the  place  in  the  best  of  order  by  the  time  I  return." 

"Who  is  Miss  O'Toole?" 

"Molly  O'Toole,  a  girl  you  would  do  well,  Alger- 
non, to  imitate.  She  is  clever,  bright  and  hard- 
working. She  has  been  poor  all  her  life,  dear  child, 
and  I  was  so  glad  I  could  help  her  when  I  heard, 
through  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.,  that  she  needed  help.  Miss 
Brown  is  an  excellent  secretary,  and  my  maid  is 
priceless,  so  at  first  I  did  not  see  how  I  could  engage 
this  girl,  but  I  finally  decided  to  open  the  Maine 

25 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

house  and  send  her  up  there  to  get  it  ready.  I  met 
her  in  New  York  and  we  talked  it  over  a  little.  She 
is  coming  this  evening,  so  we  can  go  more  into  de- 
tail. I  want  to  show  her  the  plans  of  the  place  and 
just  what  I  want  done.  She  will  spend  the  night  here 
and  start  north  to-morrow  on  that  ten  o'clock  train. 
Will  you  be  gone  before  then,  Algernon?  I  would 
like  you  to  meet  her." 

"Yes,  indeed,"  said  Algernon  firmly.  "I  am  go- 
ing very  early,  mama,  long  before  you  will  be  up." 

"I  shall  be  glad  to  spend  a  few  months  in  a  place 
where  I  am  unknown,"  smiled  Mrs.  Todd  happily, 
as  the  first  long  shadows  of  approaching  evening 
crept  across  the  lawn  to  their  feet  and  the  drowsy 
hush  of  the  dying  day  seemed  embodied  in  the 
sleepy  twitter  of  the  birds  among  the  branches  over 
head.  "I  am  glad  your  father  bought  the  place  and 
that  I  have  never  been  there  before." 

Algernon  agreed.  "It  is  sometimes  best  to  be 
among  strangers,  with  absolutely  no  reputation." 

"I  did  not  mean  it  so  at  all,  Algernon,"  protested 
Mrs.  Todd,  always  incapable  of  following  her  son's 
flights  of  fancy. 

"Nobody  wants  a  bad  reputation,  do  they  ?"  ques- 
tioned Algernon. 

"No,"  said  Mrs.  Todd  slowly,  fearing  that  she 
26 


IN    THE    ROSE-GARDEN 

was  being  drawn  into  admitting  something  she  did 
not  believe  and  would  be  shocked  to  say. 

"If  one  has  a  good  reputation,  one  is  under  a 
constant  nervous  strain  to  live  up  to  it,  isn't  one?" 

"Certainly  not,"  declared  Mrs.  Todd,  feeling  on 
firm  ground  again. 

"Certainly,"  contradicted  Algernon  sternly.  "My 
dear  mama,  be  truthful.  Admit  that  your  reputation 
as  a  competent  chairwoman  always  makes  you  a  bit 
nervous  when  asked  to  lead  a  meeting,  for  fear  you 
will  lose  it — " 

"Why — yes — Algernon,  but — " 

"Certainly  it  does.  Therefore  my  point  is  proved. 
It  is  best  to  have  no  reputation." 

"No,  indeed.   Certainly  not — " 

Algernon  rose,  waving  his  mother's  protests  aside 
airily.  "I  think,"  said  he,  "that  I  shall  go  and  dress 
for  dinner."  He  paused  and  glanced  down  at  his 
mother  reclining  in  her  low  garden  chair.  "Why  do 
you  always  engage  the  pretty  girls,  mama,  when  I 
am  away?"  he  asked.  "To  make  me  wish  to  stay  at 
home  more?  Think  of  the  pity  of  it.  I  return  last 
night,  find  that  dream  I  saw  to-day  among  the  roses 
and  leave  to-morrow!" 

"Such  words  are  hardly  in  keeping  with  your  seri- 
ous new  purpose  in  life,"  reproved  his  mother,  the 

27 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

old  worried  perplexity  returning  to  her  soft,  round, 
little  rosy  face. 

"A  just  appreciation  of  the  beautiful  can  not  af- 
fect any  one's  life  purpose,  however  serious  and  no- 
ble," said  he  reprovingly,  as  he  sighed  and  strolled 
away  across  the  lawn,  through  the  rose-garden  and 
into  the  house  by  the  long  French  windows  that 
stood  open  in  the  warm  eventide. 
!  After  dinner  he  paced  the  lawn  in  front  of  the 
house,  his  head  bent,  his  hands  behind  his  back. 
Mrs.  Todd  glanced  at  him  now  and  then  from  the 
windows  of  the  drawing-room  and  wondered  if  she 
did  see  a  new  purpose  in  his  face  or  only  imagined 
so.  He  looked  serious  and  certainly  was  not  singing 
any  of  those  foolish  songs  he  favored.  She  sighed 
and  then  smiled,  and  told  herself  that  her  doubts 
were  silly  and  groundless,  that  he  had  indeed  turned 
over  a  new  leaf  and  given  up  the  old  empty  life  of 
nothing  but  sport. 

"He  is  like  me,"  she  assured  herself,  "slow  to  de- 
velop." 

She  joined  him  on  the  lawn  and  slipped  her  hand 
through  his  arm  as  she  had  been  wont  to  do  through 
his  father's  when  they  two  had  paced  up  and  down 
in  loving  communion. 

"Miss  O'Toole  has  come,  dear,"  said  she.    "I  had 
28 


IN    THE    ROSE-GARDEN 

her  shown  directly  to  her  room,  so  she  could  rest  a 
little  and  have  something  to  eat  before  I  go  over  the 
plans  with  her.  She  is  a  charming  girl,  Algernon, 
with  a  strong  character — " 

"And  the  fifty-ninth,"  sighed  Algernon,  laying 
his  hand  tenderly  on  his  mother's  where  it  rested  on 
his  arm. 

"And  the  fifty-ninth,  Algernon?" 

"The  fifty-ninth  girl  you  have  picked  out  for 
me  to  marry,"  explained  Algernon.  "Miss  Sprague 
was  the  fifty-eighth." 

"Algernon,  it  is  not  so." 

"Mama,"  reproved  Algernon. 

"A  good  wife,  dear,  with  a  strong  character  is — - 
is  priceless — " 

"Like  your  maid,"  agreed  Algernon.  "But  father 
wasn't  thinking  of  your  character  when  he  asked 
you  to  marry  him.  He  was  thinking  that  your  eyes 
are  like  the  mountain  pools,  tree-shaded  by  your 
lashes—" 

"Algernon !" 

"When  the  sixtieth  comes,  mama,  tell  me  that  her 
skin  is  like  apple-blossoms  in  June,  or  better  still, 
like  yours  when  father — " 

Mrs.  Todd  laughed.  "I  must  go  in.  Dear,  you  are 
very  foolish." 

29 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

Algernon  escorted  her  to  the  door,  then  sauntered 
around  the  house  to  the  rose-garden.  The  air  was 
heavy  with  the  scent  of  flowers.  Over  in  the  east  the 
silver  bow  of  the  moon  was  sinking  slowly  toward 
the  tree-tops,  throwing  the  shrubs  and  bushes  in 
sharp  silhouettes  against  the  sky  and  making  the 
sheltered  places  darker  than  ever.  Algernon  stood 
a  moment  to  contemplate  the  beauty  of  the  scene, 
then  he  drew  a  little  breath  and  lighted  a  cigar. 

"On  such  a  night  as  this — "  he  began  softly,  when 
he  noticed  that  there  was  some  one  sitting  at  the  foot 
of  the  sun-dial.  Surely  it  was  not  his  mother!  She 
would  hardly  be  musing  on  the  beauties  of  the  night 
by  the  silvery  light  of  the  new  moon  in  the  quiet 
seclusion  of  the  rose-garden.  Besides,  he  had  but 
just  left  her  at  the  front  door.  He  threw  away  his 
cigar  and  drew  nearer.  It  was  a  girl  in  a  white 
dress.  Her  head  was  thrown  back  and  the  moon 
shone  full  on  her  soft  black  hair,  on  her  stiff  white 
skirt  and  tailored  waist,  the  costume  of  his  mother's 
maid  in  summer. 

"Mother's  maid,"  thought  Algernon,  and  bent 
to  whisper  in  the  small  ear  nearer  him : 

"With  hair  as  black  as  the  devil's  heart." 

The  girl  turned  her  head,  and  her  teeth  gleamed 
30 


IN    THE    ROSE-GARDEN 

in  the  moonlight,  through  the  curve  of  her  saucy 
mouth.  She  raised  her  arms  and  clasped  her  hands 
behind  her  head. 

"And  what  of  her  eyes?"  she  drawled. 

"With  eyes  of  blue,  true  blue, 
In  whose  darkling  depths  I  lose  my  soul 
Whenever  I  come  to  woo." 

Algernon  leaned  on  the  sun-dial  and  repeated  all 
the  verses  in  a  soft  cadence,  his  eyes  on  the  girl's 
profile,  barely  discernible  in  the  dark,  as  she  sat 
sidewise,  chin  uplifted.  When  he  finished,  she 
raised  her  laughing  eyes  to  his  face. 

"Inspiration  or  memory?"  she  asked  gaily. 

"Inspiration,"  said  Algernon  softly.  "I  was  in- 
spired this  morning  when  I  saw  you  in  the  rose- 
garden  among  the  bees  and  butterflies." 

"Me?"  she  questioned  in  surprise. 

"You,"  breathed  Algernon,  "a  wild  Irish  rose." 

Her  lids  fell  a  moment  over  her  eyes  and  she 
laughed  at  him  through  the  heavy  lashes.  "Ah, 
yes,"  said  she,  "but  surely  love  alone  could  have  in- 
spired those  lines.  Maybe  your  love  has  black  hair 
like  mine,  and  mine  made  you  think  of  hers  and  so 
of  her.  And  when  do  you  go  to  woo  ?" 

"When  the  moon  is  near  the  zenith,"  said  Alger- 
non, "sinking  in  a  sea  of  silver  light." 

31 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"You  had  better  hurry,  then.  The  moon  has  al- 
most sunk.  Would  you  keep  your  lady  waiting?" 

"If  she  were  waiting,  it  was  not  for  me,  I  fear," 
said  Algernon,  groping  for  the  other's  hand. 

"Does  she  care  for  another  then?"  asked  the  girl, 
folding  her  hands  demurely  in  her  lap  and  gazing 
dreamily  at  the  moon  above  the  tree-tops. 

Her  voice  was  low,  sweet  and  well-modulated,  and 
for  all  the  mischief  in  her  eyes,  she  held  herself  with 
a  dignity  and  reserve  Algernon  had  never  found 
before  in  his  mother's  maids.  She  was  different, 
not  only  from  other  maids  but  girls  in  general,  and 
Algernon  realized  that  if  he  kissed  her,  it  would 
not  be  done  easily.  She  was  laughing  at  him  again 
under  her  long  black  lashes. 

He  sat  down  beside  her  on  the  little  stone  bench 
and  she  moved  obligingly  away,  drawing  her  dress 
primly  aside. 

"No,"  he  sighed,  "she  does  not  care  for  me,"  and 
he  drew  nearer. 

"Can't  you  make  her?" 

"Can  I?" 

"How  do  I  know?  I  do  not  know  the  lady— -or 
you." 

"The  last  can  soon  be  remedied,"  said  Algernon, 
and  drew  still  nearer. 

32 


IN    THE    ROSE-GARDEN 

"How?"  she  asked. 

"Thus,"  said  he,  and  tried  to  slip  his  arm  around 
the  slim  waist. 

The  girl  rose  with  a  little  laugh.  "Not  soon,  I 
guess,"  said  she. 

Algernon  caught  her  hand.  "Sit  down  again,"  he 
pleaded.  "Let  it  take  one,  two,  three  hours,  the 
longer  the  better." 

"We  are  so  different,"  she  sighed.  "When  I  like 
a  person,  I  want  to  be  friends  right  away." 

"Do  you  want  to  be  friends  with  me,  now,  right 
away  ?" 

"How  can  I  tell?  I  have  never  seen  you,  except 
now,  in  the  dark."  Her  voice  mocked  and  teased  him 
from  the  shadow  of  the  sun-dial  thrown  across  her 
face  by  the  sinking  moon. 

"I  know  you  want  to  be  friends,"  declared  Alger- 
non, "so  come  and  sit  down." 

"How  do  you  know?"  she  teased. 

"They  all  do,"  said  Algernon,  reaching  for  her 
hand.  "Come  and  sit  down." 

The  girl  drew  her  hand  away  and  glanced  at  the 
moon  now  just  visible  through  the  tree-tops. 
"We  have  no  time  to-night,"  said  she.  "Look !  In 
an  hour  the  moon  will  have  sunk  and  then  you  will 
have  to  wait  until  to-morrow  night  before  you  can 

33 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

keep  tryst  with  your  lady.  You  had  better  hasten 
and  if  she  be  not  far  away,  perhaps  you  can  reach 
her  yet  when  the  moon  is  at  the  zenith,  sinking  in  a 
sea  of  silver  light." 

"I  can,"  said  Algernon,  "in  a  minute.  Do  you 
advise  me  to  hurry?" 

"I  should  think  you  would  want  to,"  said  she. 

Algernon  rose.  "I  do,"  said  he  and  tried  again  to 
put  his  arm  around  her  waist.  She  slipped  behind 
the  sun-dial  and  put  her  elbows  on  it,  resting  her 
chin  on  her  interlocked  fingers. 

"When  I  want  to  do  a  thing,"  said  she,  gazing 
dreamily  beyond  him,  "I  usually  find  a  way  to  do  it" 

"With  a  heart  as  cold  as  the  frost  god's  kiss, 

And  a  laugh  that  tempts  like  wine, 
Do  you  think  you  have  any  right  to  play 
With  feelings  as  deep  as  mine?" 

"Inspiration  again?"  she  questioned  softly.  "Ah, 
love,  what  must  we  not  suffer  for  your  dear  sake !" 

"The  inspiration  of  the  damned,"  declared  Alger- 
non gloomily. 

"She's  a  flirt  then,  is  she,  this  lady  of  yours?" 
asked  the  girl.  "Why  have  anything  more  to  do  with 
her?" 

"Why,  indeed  ?"  sighed  Algernon. 

The  stable  clock  tolled  solemnly  the  hour  of  ten, 
34 


IN    THE    ROSE-GARDEN 

and  the  girl  started  slowly  toward  the  house.  Al- 
gernon followed  her. 

"When  you  want  to  do  a  thing,  do  you  always  find 
a  way?"  he  queried. 

They  were  at  the  open  French  window,  and  the 
girl  paused,  one  hand  on  the  latch.  "Why,  yes,"  said 
she.  "Don't  you?" 

"I  do,"  said  Algernon  and  caught  her  in  his  arms, 
kissing  her  full  on  her  saucy  laughing  mouth.  She 
broke  away  with  a  quick  turn  of  her  lithe  young 
body  and  slipped  through  the  window. 

"Sometimes,"  said  she  from  the  gloom  of  the 
darkened  room,  "the  way  is  found  for  me." 

"Now  what  did  she  mean  by  that?"  wondered  Al- 
gernon, discreetly  withdrawing  from  the  window  as 
by  the  light  from  the  hall  he  saw  his  mother  enter 
the  room  and  fumble  at  the  door  for  the  electric 
switch. 

The  girl  lingered  a  moment  near  the  window  until 
the  light  was  turned  on,  and  from  his  seclusion 
among  the  vines  over  the  porch,  Algernon  saw  that 
she  was  not  his  mother's  black-haired  maid,  a 
glimpse  of  whom  he  had  caught  that  day  in  the 
rose-garden,  and  judged  with  an  odd  mingling  of 
pleasure  and  regret  that  she  was  Molly  O'Toole,  the 
fifty-ninth. 


CHAPTER  III 


NOON  of  an  August  day  on  the  coast  of  Maine. 
The  sun  beat  fiercely  down  on  the  sea,  on  the 
rolling  tree-covered  hills,  on  the  dried  farm  lands 
here  and  there,  on  the  long  dusty  highway  and  on 
a  modish  if  top-heavy  dog-cart,  and  a  fat  horse, 
standing  apparently  lifeless  in  the  middle  of  the 
road,  head  drooping,  tail  drooping,  eyes  placidly 
shut. 

Algernon  Van  Rensellear  Todd,  reclining  in  the 
shade  of  some  bushes,  had  watched  with  grave  inter- 
est the  approach  and  final  immovability  of  the  fat 
nag.  The  day  was  warm,  and  Algernon  was  warm. 
He  had  removed  his  cheap  straw  hat,  in  which  he 
had  followed  his  vocation  as  pedler  earlier  in  the 
summer,  and  had  taken  off  the  coat  beneath  the 
voluminous  folds  of  his  long,  equally  cheap  duster. 
His  back  was  supported  by  a  tree  trunk,  his  legs 
were  drawn  up  and  one  crossed  over  the  other,  one 
foot,  in  its  well-worn  tan  shoe  and  neat  black  sock, 
swinging  gently  in  time  to  the  tune  he  was  humming. 

36 


He  had  just  refilled  his  pipe  and  little  clouds  of 
smoke  hung  lovingly  around  his  head  in  the  still 
warm  air.  A  yaller  dog  lay  at  his  feet,  intent  upon 
the  fleas  in  his  mangy  flank. 

Algernon  gently  scratched  the  dog's  back  near 
the  end  of  his  stubby  tail  with  a  handy  stick.  The 
dog  twisted  his  body  half-way  around,  raised  him- 
self on  his  two  front  paws,  threw  back  his  head, 
licked  his  chops  ecstatically  and  rolled  his  eyes  upon 
Algernon  in  beatific  gratitude. 

"If  there  were  not  any  fleas  and  not  any  money, 
dogs  and  men  would  be  happy,"  mused  Algernon. 
"Isn't  that  so,  pup?  Men  chase  money  and  dogs 
chase  fleas,  and  neither  gets  what  he  is  after,  at 
least  not  enough  of  each  to  let  them  rest  comfort- 
ably." 

The  yaller  dog  squirmed  with  pleasure  and 
pressed  nearer  the  stick  that  was  bringing  him  relief. 

"I  guess  the  hardest  work  Noah  had  was  to  limit 
his  fleas  to  two,"  thought  Algernon.  "I  don't  see 
how  the  old  boy  did  it  when  you  think  of  the  men- 
agerie he  took  on  board. 

"I  will  wager  anything,"  he  went  on  to  the  dog, 
as  the  nag  came  into  sight  and  he  recognized  his 
mother's  favorite  steed,  the  only  one  in  her  large 
stables  that  the  good  lady  felt  herself  perfectly  com- 

37 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

petent  to  drive,  "I  will  wager  anything  that  that  no- 
ble beast  is  going  to  stop  in  a  moment  and  view  the 
landscape  for  an  hour  or  two." 

The  horse  stopped  a  few  feet  from  Algernon's 
resting  place.  She  stood  with  an  air  of  per- 
manency and  evidently  intended  to  remain  there  for 
some  time.  The  only  occupant  of  his  mother's  top- 
heavy  dog-cart  was  a  girl  in  a  white  dress  and  a 
black  straw  hat.  Her  dark  hair  was  fastened  in  a 
great  knot  at  the  back  of  her  graceful  head ;  a  few 
stray  locks,  in  soft  moist  curls,  like  a  child's,  escaped 
over  her  ears  and  cheeks,  flushed  with  the  heat  of 
the  day;  her  eyes  could  not  be  seen  under  the  brim  of 
her  enormous  hat,  but  her  mouth  was  strong  and 
sweet,  and  below  was  a  small  firm  chin. 

"Molly  O'Toole,"  thought  Algernon,  recalling  a 
moonlit  rose-garden  and  a  certain  evening  in  June. 
"Here  I  go  to  the  aid  of  beauty  in  distress." 

He  rose,  parted  the  brambles  and  scrambled  down 
the  incline  to  the  road.  The  girl  glanced  at  him  in 
surprise  but  with  no  hint  of  recognition  in  her  dark 
blue  eyes.  His  mother's  favorite  steed  flapped  one 
ear  slowly,  and  gently,  languidly,  whisked  a  fly  from 
her  flank  with  her  tail.  Algernon  raised  his  hat 
with  airy  grace  and  bowed  gallantly  in  the  dust 

38 


BEAUTY    IN    DISTRESS 

of  the  highway.  His  coat,  ready  made,  cheap  but 
neat,  hung  over  his  arm.  Beneath  the  folds  of  his 
long  duster,  one  could  see  his  clean  blue  shirt  with 
the  soft  black  tie  like  that  of  his  friend,  Mr.  Holmes, 
and  his  narrow  well-worn  belt.  His  shoes  had  clearly 
seen  hard  service,  but  were  still  whole,  and  above 
them,  the  modest  rim  of  his  black  socks  bespoke 
rather  a  gentleman  of  limited  means,  than  one  of 
simple  tastes. 

Her  first  surprise  over  at  finding  a  stranger  where 
she  had  expected  to  see  no  one,  the  girl's  startled 
fear  vanished  and  an  amused  little  smile  dimpled 
her  rosy  cheeks.  She  returned  his  bow  with  gentle 
courtesy  and  then  settled  herself  comfortably  in  the 
corner  of  the  seat  as  one  used  by  sad  experience  to 
the  eccentricities  of  her  steed. 

"Engine  broken  down?"  inquired  Algernon 
kindly. 

"The  engine's  all  right,"  said  she. 

"Tire  trouble?"  suggested  Algernon. 

"Yes,"  said  she,  "I  guess  that's  it." 

Algernon  pulled  once  or  twice  at  his  pipe  and 
looked  thoughtful.  He  had  spent  many  dismal  hours 
in  that  same  dog-cart  with  his  mother,  devising 
means,  which  his  mother  would  never  allow  him 
to  try,  to  break  the  death-like  rest  of  the  only  horse 

39 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

the  good  lady  thought  herself  perfectly  competent 
to  drive.     He  felt  for  the  girl. 

"It's  warm,"  said  he  after  a  moment,  disliking  to 
leave  her  alone  in  her  trouble,  which  was  apparently 
immovable,  and  never  averse  to  spending  his  time 
in  the  society  of  a  pretty  girl.  He  decided  in  one 
of  those  rare  flashes  of  his,  which  he  mistook  for 
genius,  that  he  would  not  reveal  his  identity  just 
yet.  The  situation  of  conversing,  unknown  and  un- 
recognized, with  his  mother's  housekeeper  was 
amusing  and  appealed  to  his  whimsical  fancy. 

"Yes,"  said  she,  "it  is  quite  warm." 

"Are  these — er — equine  musings  upon  nature 
chronic,"  he  asked,  "or  is  this  merely  a  temporary 
f  orgetf  ulness  ?" 

"It's  becoming  more  than  temporary,"  said  she, 
"quite  permanent." 

Algernon  gazed  up  into  the  laughing  blue  eyes 
under  the  brim  of  the  great  hat  and  for  once  in 
his  life  could  think  of  nothing  to  say.  His  mind 
was  numb  and  he  wondered  if  he  had  had  a  sun- 
stroke. 

"That's  a  nice  cart,"  said  he  desperately,  com- 
pelled to  say  something  to  end  the  agony,  aware 
vaguely  of  the  fact  that  she  herself  was  amused  and 
had  no  intention  of  helping  him  out. 

40 


BEAUTY    IN    DISTRESS 

"Yes,"  said  she  demurely. 

That  did  for  the  cart. 

"It's  warm,"  remarked  Algernon  again,  feeling 
that  his  remarks  were  hardly  brilliant. 

"It  is  warm,"  she  agreed  sweetly,  and  gazed  past 
him  at  the  dog  that  had  followed  him  into  the 
road  and  now  sat  a  few  feet  behind  him,  tongue  out, 
humble  adoring  eyes  on  his  temporarily  adopted 
master. 

"That's  my  dog,"  said  Algernon,  inspired. 

"Is  it?"  said  she. 

"I  found  him  back  up  the  road." 

"Did  you?"  asked  she. 

"He  is  a  nice  dog." 

"Yes,"  said  she. 

The  dog  having  been  exhausted  as  a  topic  of  con- 
versation, Algernon  strove  heroically  for  another, 
while  the  girl,  aloft  socially  as  well  as  physically 
in  the  high  cart,  gazed  dreamily  before  her,  and  the 
horse  dozed  placidly  on. 

"Are  you  going  far?"  questioned  Algernon. 

"Home,"  repeated  she. 

"Is  that  far?"  asked  Algernon  rudely. 

"Not  far,"  said  she,  and  turned  her  attention  to 
a  distant  glimpse  of  the  sea  through  a  break  in  the 
woods. 

41 


THE    UPPER   CRUST 

"I'm  not  going  far  either,"  said  Algernon. 

"Where  are  you  going?"  she  asked  as  one  would 
question  a  child. 

"Crazy,"  thought  Algernon,  but  he  said  aloud, 
"Oh,  to  North  Brockton,  I  guess." 

"I  would  offer  you  a  ride,"  said  she,  her  mouth 
suddenly  dimpling  and  her  eyes  laughing,  "but  I 
am  not  sure  how  soon  I  shall  start." 

"I  am  in  no  hurry,"  said  Algernon. 

"Get  in  then,"  said  she  politely,  ready  to  accept 
a  situation  that  she  herself  had  created,  though 
convinced  at  the  time  that  he  would  not  under  the 
circumstances  accept  her  offer. 

"Thanks,"  said  Algernon. 

"Put  your  dog  in.  Poor  little  thing!  See  how 
warm  he  is." 

Algernon  picked  up  the  dog,  whose  eyes  protruded 
with  fright,  while  his  short  tail  tried  in  vain  to  get 
between  his  coiled  up,  flapping  back  legs.  The  girl 
moved  farther  along,  and  Algernon  deposited  the 
dog  on  the  floor  of  the  cart,  climbing  in  himself 
just  in  time  to  grab  the  pup  who  made  one  wild 
bound  for  the  liberty  and  safety  of  the  road. 

"Put  him  on  the  seat  between  us,"  said  the  girl, 
patting  the  place.  "You  can  hold  him  more  easily." 

42 


BEAUTY    IN    DISTRESS 

Algernon  did  as  she  said  and  settled  back  in  his 
corner,  feeling  that  they  were  all  three  there  for 
the  rest  of  eternity. 

"Can  you  make  her  go?"  asked  the  girl,  nodding 
her  graceful  head  at  the  recalcitrant  nag. 

"I  don't  know  of  any  way,"  returned  Algernon, 
trying  to  recall  one  of  the  many  ways  he  had  de- 
vised when  he  and  his  mother  had  been  wont  to 
sit  in  forced  inactivity  because  his  mother  would 
not  have  her  favorite  horse  abused.  His  spirits 
were  slowly  returning  and  his  first  pleasure  in  the 
situation  was  mounting  rapidly,  joyously.  "I  would 
reason  with  her,  but  she  being  a  woman — " 

"As  I  am,"  said  the  girl,  and  glanced  at  him  from 
beneath  the  brim  of  the  enormous  black  hat. 

"Ah,  yes,"  said  Algernon  with  sudden  gaiety, 
"but  you  are  an  exception." 

"I  hope  Elizabeth  is,  too,"  said  the  girl.  "I 
should  hate  to  think  that  there  are  more  like  her." 

"Frankly,"  said  Algernon,  "I  don't  believe  there 
are." 

"I  never  met  one  like  her  before,"  said  the  girl 
plaintively. 

"I  know  of  only  one  cure,"  said  Algernon,  "and 
that  is  to  sell  her." 

43 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"No  one  would  buy  her,"  laughed  the  girl  gaily. 
"Every  one  around  here  has  helped  me  so  often  this 
summer  to  make  her  go  that  they  all  know  her." 

"That's  unfortunate,"  agreed  Algernon.  "I  don't 
suppose  it  would  do  any  good  to  try  and  get  her  to 
a  town  where  she  is  unknown  to  fame  and  sell  her 
there?" 

"No.    You  see  she  would  balk." 

"I  see,"  said  Algernon. 

"I  would  really  like  to  get  home,"  said  the  girl. 
"It  must  be  lunch-time." 

Algernon  put  the  pipe  he  had  been  holding  into 
his  mouth  to  reach  for  his  watch,  and  then  hastily 
withdrew  the  pipe.  "I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  he, 
reddening. 

"I  do  not  mind,"  said  she,  pleased  that  her  first 
surmise,  formed  as  he  had  stood  bareheaded  in  the 
dust  of  the  highway,  that  this  strange  youth  was 
gently  bred,  was  thus  confirmed,  though  it  had  been 
for  a  time  dimmed,  almost  banished.  "We  smoke 
hams,  why  not  cigars  ?"  she  asked  flippantly. 

"Certainly,"  agreed  Algernon.  "A  good  meal 
and  a  good  cigar  are  the  two  most  formidable 
enemies  the  devil  has." 

"I'm  terribly  stupid,  but  I  don't  follow  you," 
said  she. 

44 


BEAUTY    IN    DISTRESS 

"They  make  a  man  content,  and  a  contented  man 
never  sins,"  explained  Algernon,  hoping  he  was,  in  a 
small  way,  redeeming  his  former  lack  of  conversa- 
tional ability. 

The  girl  agreed  and  added  wearily,  with  a  little 
flap  of  the  reins,  "I  wish  a  good  meal  were  as  effect- 
ive on  women." 

"It  may  be,"  said  Algernon  hopefully,  wishing 
she  was  not  so  anxious  to  be  gone.  "I  shall  get  out 
and  walk  ahead  with  something  for  her  to  eat,  some 
grass,  or — er — carrots.  We  might  be  able  to  find 
some  carrots  in  that  field." 

"I  hardly  think  so,"  said  the  girl,  turning  to  see 
the  field  to  which  he  had  motioned.  "That,  I  think, 
is  a  barley  field." 

"Barley,"  declared  Algernon  firmly,  "is  even  bet- 
ter than  carrots." 

The  girl  laughed,  a  gay  inconsequential  laugh  of 
sheer  youth.  "It  won't  do  any  good.  I  have  tried. 
Elizabeth  is  above  temptation." 

Algernon  smiled  a  slow  sweet  smile  of  sudden  in- 
spiration and  reached  for  the  reins.  "Give  them 
here  and  hold  on,"  he  ordered,  puffing  vigorously 
at  his  pipe. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do?"  she  asked  curiously 
and  a  bit  anxiously. 

45 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"I  am  going  to  get  you  home  to  lunch,"  said  Al- 
gernon grimly. 

She  took  his  coat  from  his  knees  and  instinctively 
put  her  arm  around  the  pup  who  was  slumbering 
peacefully  between  them.  Algernon  puffed  once, 
twice,  thrice,  then  he  leaned  over  and  emptied  the 
contents  of  his  glowing  pipe  on  the  horse's  back. 

For  a  moment,  Elizabeth  was  impassive,  then 
with  a  sudden  snort  of  pain  and  protest,  she  kicked 
up  her  old  heels  and  started  down  the  road  with  the 
speed  of  the  once  famous  Maud  S.  On  they  tore, 
swinging  from  one  side  of  the  road  to  the  other. 
The  dog-cart  rattled  and  clattered,  bumped  and 
rocked.  Algernon  braced  his  feet  and  glanced  at 
the  girl.  She  was  clinging  with  grim  fervor  to  the 
pup,  the  coat  and  her  hat. 

"Going  some,"  said  he  pleasantly,  and  she  nodded. 

Dust  rose  in  dim  gray  clouds.  Trees,  fields  and 
bushes  swept  past.  Now  they  came  to  a  hill  and  be- 
low them  in  the  sultry  heat  of  noonday,  lay  the 
small  village  of  North  Brockton.  Without  a  pause 
they  tore  down  the  hill,  through  the  principal  elm- 
bordered  street,  past  the  quiet  white  houses  and  the 
one  store,  where  Algernon  caught  a  fleeting  glimpse 
of  a  horrified  group  of  loungers  and  a  startled  store- 
keeper. With  nice  precision,  they  grazed  the  wheel 

46 


BEAUTY    IN    DISTRESS 

of  a  creaking  ox-cart,  missed  by  the  fraction  of  an 
inch,  the  town  pump,  frightened  children  and  chick- 
ens from  their  path  and  whirled  on  toward  a  hill 
on  the  farther  side  of  the  village.  Clattering,  bang- 
ing, bumping,  they  swept  up  the  hill  and  over  it. 

At  last,  a  good  two  miles  farther  on,  Algernon 
brought  the  horse  to  a  stop.  The  girl  had  not  said 
a  word,  made  any  outcry  or  even  moved,  but  had 
simply  held  on  to  the  pup,  her  hat  and  Algernon's 
coat  and  managed  somehow  or  other  to  keep  her 
seat.  But  Algernon  saw  that  she  was  white  and 
trembling,  now  that  the  excitement  was  over. 

"Jove,"  said  he,  "you  weren't  frightened,  were 
you?" 

She  swallowed  once  or  twice,  nodded  and  tried 
to  smile  with  her  trembling  lips. 

Algernon  pulled  out  a  whisky  flask  from  his  hip 
pocket.  "Take  a  little.  It  will  make  you  feel 
good,"  he  said  kindly,  and  held  it  to  her  lips. 

She  shook  her  head.  "I  am  all  right,  thanks," 
she  protested. 

"No,  you  are  not,"  contradicted  Algernon.  "Take 
some." 

"I  don't  like  it.     It  makes  me  cough." 

"It  will  do  you  good.  Coughing  won't  hurt  you 
any." 

47 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"I  think  I  shall  get  out,"  said  she  somewhat  nerv- 
ously. 

"Not  until  you  take  a  good  big  swallow,"  in- 
sisted Algernon. 

"This  is  a  prohibition  state,"  she  hedged. 

"A  state  of  collapse,"  said  Algernon  firmly,  "is 
never  prohibition." 

She  laughed  and  yielded,  taking  the  flask  from  his 
hand  and  raising  it  to  her  lips.  The  burning  liquid 
slipped  down  her  throat  and  made  her  cough,  bring- 
ing the  tears  to  her  eyes. 

"That's  all  right,"  said  he.  "It  will  make  you 
feel  good." 

Their  eyes  met  In  his,  amusement  struggled 
with  solicitude,  in  hers,  with  admiration.  For  a 
moment  their  glances  clung,  then  her  red  mouth 
twitched,  her  cheeks  dimpled  irrepressibly  and  she 
leaned  back  in  her  corner  and  laughed  and  laughed, 
while  the  pup  made  mad  leaps  to  lick  her  face  with 
his  small  wet  tongue. 

Algernon  chuckled.  "If  mama  had  seen  Elizabeth 
just  now,"  he  thought,  "she  would  no  longer  con- 
sider her  perfectly  safe  to  drive." 

The  girl  stopped  laughing  and  wiped  her  eyes. 
"Oh,  dear,"  said  she  with  a  sputter  of  renewed 
mirth.  "Let  me  drive  you  back  to  the  village.  I 

48 


BEAUTY    IN    DISTRESS 

am  not  afraid  of  her,  and  I  am  sure  she  won't  balk 
again  to-day." 

Algernon  objected,  declaring  that  he  would  drive 
her  home  himself.  But  the  girl  would  not  listen 
to  the  suggestion,  firmly,  almost  angrily,  refusing 
his  offer.  Her  cheeks  had  flushed  suddenly  and  her 
eyes  were  bright  and  determined. 

"Probably  thinks  I  am  carrying  my  freshness  a 
bit  too  far,"  thought  Algernon  miserably.  He 
alighted  and  took  his  coat. 

"I  shall  walk  back,"  said  he,  "if  you  are  sure  you 
are  not  afraid  of  the  horse." 

The  girl  had  grown  suddenly  nervous  and  was 
too  evidently  eager  to  be  rid  of  him.  She  protested, 
however,  that  he  must  let  her  take  him  back,  and  he 
as  firmly  refused.  A  girl,  living  alone  as  she  was 
in  a  big  house,  with  only  servants,  could  not  be  too 
careful  whom  she  had  visit  her,  Algernon  realized, 
especially  in  a  small  village  like  North  Brockton 
where  gossip  flourished  for  lack  of  anything  else  to 
do.  The  kindest  thing  he  could  do  was  to  leave  her 
as  soon  as  possible,  unless  he  wished  to  tell  her 
who  he  was.  He  preferred,  however,  to  do  that  when 
he  called  in  person  that  afternoon  at  the  house. 

But  the  girl  turned  the  cart  and  insisted  that  she 
would  take  him  back  to  the  village.  She  would  not 

49 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

be  gainsaid  and  Algernon  gave  in  with  a  sudden, 
vague,  but  half-formed  idea  that  she  was  in  some 
way  suspicious  of  him  and  wanted  to  see  what  be- 
came of  him. 

"Where  shall  I  take  you?"  she  asked  as  they 
started  back. 

"To  the  hotel,  please,"  said  Algernon.  "I  am  a 
stranger  in  these  parts." 

She  looked  at  him  curiously,  and  he  saw  the  de- 
sire to  question  him  frankly  in  her  eyes.  "Wonders 
where  my  baggage  is,"  he  decided. 

"It  is  a  beautiful  place,"  said  she,  "but  very,  very 
slow.  Indeed,  it  seems  as  if  it,  too,  had  balked." 

"Balking,"  said  Algernon  gaily,  "is  right  in  my 
line." 

"It  certainly  is,"  said  she,  laughing.  "But  I  do 
not  suppose  you  will  be  here  long  enough  to  have 
to  rnake  use  of  it."  Her  words  were  either  state- 
ment or  question  and  Algernon  preferred  to  take 
them  for  the  former. 

"I  would  hate  to  have  to  set  the  town  on  fire," 
said  he. 

"I  hope  you  would  leave  first,"  said  she,  politely 
trying  to  learn  the  extent  of  his  stay. 

"I  should  certainly  have  to  afterward,"  said  Al- 
gernon cheerfully. 

50 


BEAUTY    IN    DISTRESS 

"If  you  are  going  to  be  here  long,"  said  she,  not 
looking  at  him,  "I  advise  you  to  get  rooms  at  the 
old  Misses  Allen's  if  you  can.  You  will  like  it 
much  better  than  at  the  hotel." 

"I  shan't  be  here  long,"  said  Algernon,  amused  at 
her  ingenuity  for  politely  discovering  his  inten- 
tions and  wondering  what  she  wanted  to  know  them 
for,  modestly  aware  that  she  was  rather  anxious  to 

have  him  go. 

They  drove  back,  past  the  town  pump,  past  the 

store  and  up  the  village  street  to  the  gaunt,  unat- 
tractive hotel.  It  had  once  been  white  but  was  now 
a  dull  gray  with  dusty  sagging  blinds  and  dreary 
dirty  windows.  The  long  narrow  porch  in  front  was 
deserted,  and  the  girl  for  some  reason  seemed  re- 
lieved as  she  drew  up  and  Algernon  once  more 
alighted. 

"Thank  you  so  much,"  said  she,  amusement  and 
friendly  admiration  lighting  for  a  second  the  deep 
blue  eyes  and  twitching  the  corners  of  her  dimpling 
mouth.  "It  was  so — so  thoughtful  in  you.  Good-by." 

"Thank  you  for  the  lift,"  returned  Algernon, 
raising  his  hat  as  he  stood  on  the  porch  steps,  the 
dog  beside  him. 

"Not  at  all,"  said  she,  distantly  polite  once  more, 
and  turning  the  cart,  she  drove  rapidly  away,  sitting 

51 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

erect  and  graceful  in  the  high  ungainly  cart,  charm- 
ingly dainty  in  her  soft  white  dress  and  large  black 
hat,  his  coat  forgotten  on  the  seat  beside  her. 

Dinner  was  a  sad  affair,  eaten  in  lonely  grandeur 
in  the  big  empty  dining-room,  served  by  a  clumsy 
maid  of  all  work.  Algernon  ate  hastily,  gave  his 
last  nickel  to  the  maid  servant  as  a  tip  and  de- 
parted. 

The  front  stoop  of  the  one  and  only  store  the  vil- 
lage boasted  was  the  lounging  place  of  the  village 
elect.  Here  war  was  declared  and  fought  to  a  tri- 
umphant conclusion,  peace  ratified,  presidents  were 
elected,  blamed  and  censured,  trusts  abolished  and 
reputations  made  and  lost,  here  on  the  old  weather- 
beaten  stoop,  in  the  drowsy  warmth  of  a  summer 
afternoon,  while  the  village  slumbered  and  only 
the  ceaseless  drone  of  insects  and  the  low  monoton- 
ous chant  of  the  sea  broke  the  heavy  country  silence. 
The  runaway  was  a  topic  of  thrilling  interest,  in- 
cluding as  it  did,  not  only  the  notorious  Elizabeth, 
but  a  stranger,  a  man,  and  young.  Who  was  he  and 
where  did  he  come  from?  And  what  had  made 
Elizabeth  run?  Gosh! 

The  hero  of  the  adventure,  approaching  at  that 
moment,  stopped  all  conjecture  as  old  man  Brown 
hailed  him. 

52 


BEAUTY    IN    DISTRESS 

"Had  a  bit  of  a  runaway,"  called  the  old  man. 

Algernon  strolled  up,  mangy  yaller  pup  at  his 
heels,  pushed  his  hat  on  the  back  of  his  head  and 
selected  a  comfortable  packing  box  for  an  hour's 
peaceful  rest.  It  rather  pained  him  that  one  of  his 
horses,  sent  to  Maine  early  in  the  summer  when  his 
mother  had  left  for  Europe,  should  already  have  ac- 
quired Elizabeth's  reputation. 

"Yes,"  said  he,  and  added :  "that  is  a  fine  horse,  a 
fine  horse."  He  nodded  approvingly,  with  the  calm 
air  of  a  connoisseur  in  horse-flesh,  and  drawing  forth 
his  pipe,  filled  it  slowly  as  though  still  musing  on 
the  undisputed  worth  of  his  mother's  favorite  steed. 
The  pup  curled  up  at  his  feet  in  the  shade  and  went 
to  sleep. 

"I  guess  you  be  from  the  city,"  suggested  Hig- 
gins,  the  storekeeper,  kindly.  The  others  chuckled. 

Algernon  lighted  his  pipe  and  tossed  away  the 
match.  "From  several  cities,"  he  admitted,  thereby 
confirming  their  suspicion  that  he  was  a  drummer 
and  had  left  his  cases  at  Brockton  until  he  found  if 
there  was  any  chance  to  make  a  sale  at  the  small 
village  of  North  Brockton.  "My  father  owned  a 
stock  farm  down  in  Kentucky  wher,e  the  finest 
horses  in  the  world  are  raised,  you  know." 

There  was  a  surprised  silence.  Clearly  the  youth 
S3 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

was  not  lying,  for  there  was  no  reason  for  him  to  do 
so,  and  in  the  country  one  does  not  lie  without  rea- 
son. Could  it  be  possible  that  Elizabeth  had  been 
misjudged?  That  she  was  as  fine  in  every  way  as 
she  looked  ?  The  stranger  must  know  about  horses. 
Not  only  was  he  from  Kentucky,  but  his  tones  were 
calmly  positive,  firm  with  the  knowledge  of  one 
who  knew,  and  impressive  as  from  one  who  had  no 
object  in  praising  the  horse.  It  wasn't  his  and  he 
would  not  benefit  by  its  sale. 

Algernon  pulled  gently  at  his  pipe,  settled  himself 
more  comfortably  on  his  packing  box  and  went  on, 
as  much  to  himself  apparently  and  the  yaller  pup 
asleep  at  his  feet  as  to  any  one.  "Shucks!  a  horse 
is  like  a  woman.  You  have  to  know  them  before 
you  can  handle  them,  can  get  the  best  out  of  them. 
Tact."  And  he  blew  a  tiny  smoke  wreath  upward 
with  dreamy  pleasure. 

The  circle  was  visibly  impressed,  but  still  some- 
what skeptical. 

"Elizabeth  has  been  around  here  for  the  last  two 
months,"  said  Higgins,  "and  a  little  fire  started  un- 
der her  has  proved  about  the  most  tactful  tact." 

"Oh,  I  don't  know,"  said  Algernon  with  the  lazy 
indifference  of  one  entirely  uninterested  personally, 
merely  correcting  an  error  for  the  sake  of  truth. 

54 


BEAUTY    IN    DISTRESS 

"We  know,"  snorted  Brown.  "That  horse  has  been 
here  two  months  now  and  stood  still  most  of  that 
time." 

"A  little  skill,"  returned  Algernon  cheerfully, 
and  waved  the  unquestioned  result  aside  with  an 
airy  gesture. 

"A  little  dynamite,"  said  Higgins,  and  the  others 
laughed. 

"Rats!"  said  Algernon  with  the  low  chuckle 
of  knowledge  for  an  exhibition  of  ignorance.  "It 
didn't  look  to  me  as  if  we  needed  dynamite." 

"I'll  bet  a  nickel  you  didn't  find  the  nag  walking, 
even,"  declared  old  man  Brown,  determined  not 
to  relinquish  his  well-formed  and  well-grounded 
idea  of  Elizabeth's  character. 

"I  was  walking  over  from  Brockton,  when  the 
cart  overtook  me,"  said  Algernon  with  dignity.  "I 
asked  the  young  lady  the  direction,  but  as  the  horse 
was  rather  mettlesome,  I  offered  to  take  the  reins." 

"You  made  her  run,"  admitted  Higgins  slowly. 

"I  made  her  stop,"  corrected  Algernon. 

"Why  don't  you  buy  her  from  the  Todds  and 
make  your  fortune?"  asked  Brown,  cynical  but  wav- 
ering. 

"I  may  when  they  come,"  said  Algernon. 

"Mrs.  Todd's  come,"  chorused  the  others. 
55 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"Mrs.  Todd?"  questioned  Algernon  fearfully, 
wondering  if  his  mother  had  returned  unexpectedly 
frorn  Europe  without  letting  him  know,  to  surprise 
him  in  his  new  undertaking.  Mrs.  Todd  abhorred 
newspapers  as  much  as  she  did  sloth,  and  her  goings 
and  comings  were  never  chronicled  in  those  mediums 
of  gossip  for  the  uninitiated.  Algernon  was  fond  of 
his  mother,  but  he  disliked  surprises.  The  surpriser 
is  so  often  the  surprisee. 

"The  young  lady's  here  all  right  and  don't  you 
forget  it,"  said  Brown  with  gloomy  pleasure. 

"Young?"  stammered  Algernon. 

Brown  nodded.  "About  twenty-two  or  three, 
can't  be  more,  looks  less,  but  women  are  never  as 
young  as  they  look." 

"I  thought  Todd  was  about  the  same  age,"  mur- 
mured Algernon. 

"He  is,"  said  Higgins.  "She  is  his  stepmother.  It 
was  a  surprise  to  us  all,  too,  her  age,  until  she  ex- 
plained. She  was  mighty  young  when  she  married 
old  man  Todd,  was  his  second  wife,  see !  And  I  don't 
blame  him  none  for  marrying  her.  She's  prettier'n 
a  picture.  He  only  lived  about  two  years  after  she 
married  him.  Talk  about  luck !" 

"His  or  hers?"  asked  Smith  from  down  Water- 
ford  way,  with  a  wink  at  Algernon. 

56 


BEAUTY    IN    DISTRESS 

"Hers,"  said  Higgins. 

"His,"  said  Brown.  "If  he  had  lived,  she  would 
have  made  him  trouble,  broken  up  his  home,  prob- 
ably. She's  so  darned  flighty." 

"Aw,  she's  young,"  said  Higgins.  "Let  her  have 
some  fun." 

"That's  no  reason  for  a  girl  carrying  on  as  she 
does,"  snorted  Brown.  "And  her  husband  not  two 
years  in  his  grave  yet." 

"She  ain't  married  no  longer,  though,"  insisted 
Higgins,  in  defense  of  beauty.  "And  so  long  as 
the  son  hasn't  no  kick — " 

"The  son's  a  damn  fool,"  said  Brown  shortly. 

"Er — er — maybe  not,"  stammered  Algernon. 

"Maybe  not!"  Brown  turned  upon  the  stranger 
with  ill-concealed  scorn  and  laid  the  case  before 
him.  "Here  is  Todd,  a  young  fellow,  with  his 
father  not  dead  much  more'n  a  year,  and  his  father's 
widow  carrying  on  something  fierce  with  another 
man!" 

"He  don't  know  nothing  about  it,"  protested 
Smith.  "A  family  never  knows  them  things  until 
the  wedding  or  the  divorce  papers  come." 

"Who's  the  other  man?"  asked  Algernon,  still 
dazed.. 

"Hancock,"  said  Brown,  with  slow  pleasure  at 
57 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

telling  the  story  to  a  stranger  in  all  its  harrowing 
details.  "The  young  feiler  who  owns  the  Pines, 
over  near  Brockton.  You  see,  Castle  Crags,  the 
Todds'  place,  is  on  one  arm  of  the  bay,  and  the 
Pines,  young  Hancock's  place,  is  on  the  other.  By 
water,  they  aren't  more'n  a  mile  apart,  but  by  the 
road,  it's  more'n  three  times  as  long." 

"Shouldn't  think  they  would  use  the  road  none," 
said  Smith  with  another  wink  for  Algernon. 

Brown  shook  his  head.  "Yes,  they  do.  He's  over 
in  his  automobile  for  her  nearly  every  day." 

"She's  so  pretty,"  excused  Higgins  gently. 

"What  does  she  look  like?"  asked  Algernon 
faintly. 

"Like  one  of  these  pictures  on  a  magazine  cover," 
answered  Higgins  admiringly.  "A  heap  of  black 
hair  piled  all  over  her  head  and  blue  eyes — " 

"Blue  as  them  larkspurs  over  near  the  pump," 
said  a  long  lank  youth  dreamily. 

It  sounded  like  Molly  OToole,  Molly  the  fifty- 
ninth,  masquerading  in  his  mother's  shoes.  Al- 
gernon chuckled  as  he  recalled  her  desire  to  discover 
his  intentions  and  business  and  then  be  rid  of  him. 
Every  youth  arriving  in  town  must  fill  the  young 
lady  with  suspicions  for  a  time,  though  his  own 
shabbiness  and  means  of  arrival  had  undoubtedly 

58 


BEAUTY    IN    DISTRESS 

somewhat  allayed  hers  in  regard  to  him  and  his 
possible  connection  with  the  Todds. 

"Guess  I  shall  go  and  see  the  place,"  said  he 
rising.  "How  do  I  get  there?" 

"Just  keep  along  that  road  you  and  Elizabeth  ate 
up  this  morning,"  returned  Higgins. 

"Swallowed,"  corrected  Algernon  gently.  "  'Ate 
up'  sounds  like  chewing  and  we  didn't  stop  for  that." 

"You're  right  there,"  acknowledged  Brown.  "I 
thought  you  weren't  probably  never  going  to  stop 
again." 

"A  fine  horse,"  said  Algernon  carelessly,  and  the 
others  remained  silent.  Brown  returned  hastily  to 
the  second  subject. 

"Keep  right  along  the  road  and  you  can't  miss 
it.  It's  not  more'n  five  miles  from  here.  It  stands 
upon  a  hill  and  has  a  lot  of  trees  around  it,  so  you 
can't  see  the  house  from  the  road,  but  you  can't  miss 
the  gates.  They're  made  out  of  iron  and  granite 
and  have  a  little  house  beside  them,  the  'Lodge/ 
Todd's  folks  call  it." 

"Thanks,"  said  Algernon,  knocking  the  ashes  from 
his  pipe  and  slipping  it  into  his  pocket.  "Must  be 
some  place." 

"It's  a  show  place,  all  right,"  agreed  Brown,  "but 
them  Todds  ain't  got  no  sense  with  the  airs  they 

59 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

put  on.  Gosh !  just  because  a  man's  got  a  little  more 
of  this  world's  goods  than  his  neighbors  ain't  no 
reason  for  him  to  set  up  and  act  like  he's  better'n 
them  soul  and  body,  as  well  as  pocketbook." 

"No,"  admitted  Algernon,  in  a  weak  attempt  to 
defend  his  family,  "but  she  only  married  into  the 
family,  you  know.  She  isn't  an  out  and  out  Todd. 
And  it's  the  being  born  to  a  thing  that  makes  the 
difference."  He  picked  up  his  bundle  and  paused. 
"Young  Todd  may  be  decent  enough." 

"Haven't  you  read  about  him  none  in  the  papers?" 
demanded  Brown,  condemning  the  absent  youth  by 
the  very  tones  of  horror  in  his  shrill  old  voice. 

Algernon  flushed.  "Newspapers  and  a  first-class 
photographer  never  get  a  correct  picture,"  said 
he  mildly  in  futile  self-defense.  "They  couldn't, 
you  see.  If  they  did  they  would  have  to  go  out  of 
business ;  there'd  be  nothing  doing." 

"Huh,"  sneered  Brown.  "I  guess  all  them  stories 
about  young  Todd  ain't  made  up.  Cause  why? 
Cause  no  one  could  make  them  up.  See?" 

"Maybe  not,"  agreed  Algernon  hastily.  "Well, 
so  long." 

With  a  yaller  pup  trotting  at  his  heels,  he  started 
up  the  dusty  road  in  the  quiet  hush  of  the  afternoon, 
to  find  Molly  OToole,  the  fifty-ninth. 


THE  day  had  grown  warmer  and  over  in  the 
east,  across  the  sea,  a  bank  of  clouds  came 
rolling  in.  The  sea  looked  dark  and  oily,  and  the 
waves  swept  landward  with  an  eery  swing  that 
boded  a  storm.  The  leaves  of  the  trees  hung  mo- 
tionless and  the  peace  that  precedes  trouble  was 
over  all. 

"So  Molly  O'Toole  preferred  to  be  the  mistress 
instead  of  the  housekeeper,"  mused  Algernon,  walk- 
ing along  the  dust-covered  grass  by  the  wayside, 
his  hat  on  the  back  of  his  head,  his  long  duster 
flapping  around  his  heels,  the  pup,  with  drooping 
tail  and  hanging  head,  following  dejectedly  in  the 
rear.  "We  are  unknown  up  here  and  there  isn't 
any  reason  but  the  minor  one  of  honor,  perhaps, 
why  she  shouldn't  be  mistress  as  long  as  she  can. 
It's  more  satisfying  than  housekeeper  and  everybody 
pretends  something  or  other  all  their  lives,  that  he's 
smart,  when  he's  not,  that  he's  good,  when  he's  bad, 
that  she's  young,  when  she's  old.  Everything's 

61 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

pretense,  every  one  pretends.  Jove!  I  wish  Jimmy 
was  here.  Mama  might  fail  to  see  the  joke,  but  good 
old  Jimmy  wouldn't." 

The  partnership  of  Worth  and  Todd,  pedlers, 
had  been  dissolved  the  day  before  in  the  coldness 
and  reserve  that  would  stamp  an  angry  Vere  de 
Vere.  After  two  months  of  more  fun  than  profits, 
they  had  arrived  at  a  small  town  to  the  south  and 
James  had  settled  down  there  apparently  for  life, 
fascinated  by  the  sweet  gray  eyes  and  charming 
shyness  of  a  dainty  little  country  maid.  After  a 
week  of  firmness,  of  urging,  of  vain  pleading  to 
move  on,  Algernon  had  grown  angry.  One  hasty 
remark  led  to  others,  equally  hasty,  equally  foolish, 
and  several  times  more  irritating.  Algernon  ac- 
cused James  of  carrying  on  an  unkind  flirtation 
with  a  girl  unused  to  the  game  and  wholly  unpre- 
pared to  hold  her  own.  James  made  remarks  about 
people  who  lived  in  glass  houses,  and  the  inadvisa- 
bility  of  the  kettle  calling  attention  to  the  color  of 
the  pot.  Algernon  said  under  the  circumstances 
he  did  not  care  to  be  called  a  friend.  James  said 
he  preferred  to  be  strangers  under  any  and  all 
circumstances.  Algernon  said  nothing  pleased  him 
more,  and  James  said  that  he  would  forget  that  he 
had  ever  had  the  misfortune  to  know  a  Todd.  They 

62 


A    SLIGHT    MISTAKE 

went  over  their  accounts,  Algernon  took  the  five  dol- 
lars due  him,  and  in  mutual  silence  they  parted. 

Algernon  had  lived  that  summer  on  what  he  had 
made  as  pedler,  and  besides  the  five  dollars,  had  no 
ready  money.  He  decided  to  go  to  Brockton,  for 
which  he  found  he  had  enough  car  fare  with  a  little 
left  over  for  meals,  and  from  there  walk  to  North 
Brockton  and  Castle  Crags.  Then  he  could  telegraph 
for  money  and  settle  down  to  await  his  mother's 
return. 

Algernon  reached  the  top  of  the  hill  Elizabeth 
had  taken  with  such  vigor  that  morning,  and  paused 
to  look  around  him  in  the  gathering  gloom.  He 
had  started  from  the  store  late,  and  the  approach- 
ing storm  made  the  afternoon  seem  like  twilight. 
This  view  from  the  hilltop  revealed  nothing  but 
other  rolling  pine-covered  hills.  The  trees  shut  out 
the  sight  of  the  sea,  but  the  dull  boom  of  the  rising 
tide  pervaded  the  atmosphere  like  the  deep  notes 
of  an  organ,  rising  and  falling.  Algernon  con- 
templated the  scene  with  a  weary  sigh.  It  was 
beautiful  but  inexpressibly  sad.  The  first  gusts  of 
the  coming  storm  gently  swayed  the  taller  trees  and 
brushed  past  Algernon  as  though  in  a  hurry  to  reach 
the  other  side  of  the  world,  while  from  the  coast 
came  the  mournful  call  of  the  bell-buoy. 

63 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"Cheerful?"  questioned  Algernon.     "Oh,  yes!" 

He  leaned  against  the  fence  and  lighted  his  pipe. 

"If  I  didn't  get  lost  among  those  bally  trees,"  he 
reasoned,  "I  would  get  there  much  quicker  by  cut- 
ting through  to  the  sea  and  making  around  by  the 
coast." 

A  mightier  gust  of  wind  than  usual  swept  by,  and 
far  away  to  his  right  he  heard  the  low  rumble  of 
distant  thunder. 

"If  I  should  get  lost,  I  don't  believe  I  would  get 
wet.  The  trees  are  too  thick  for  that.  Besides,  I 
don't  see  how  I  can  get  lost,  if  I  just  keep  going 
toward  the  sound  of  the  sea.  Well,  here's  for  the 
attempt." 

He  climbed  the  fence  and  struck  off  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  distant  sobs  of  the  bell-buoy.  After  a 
while,  when  the  sea  was  apparently  as  far  away  as 
ever  and  the  woods  were  as  thick  as  ever  and  the 
darkness  was  twice  as  dark  as  ever,  Algernon  ar- 
rived at  the  conclusion  that  he  was  lost. 

He  wandered  around  aimlessly  for  a  time  and 
finally  settled  himself  and  the  pup  under  a  big  pine 
and  decided  to  wait  until  the  storm  blew  over.  It 
was  dry  where  he  was  and  outside  the  shelter  of 
the  trees,  even  in  the  woods,  the  rain  fell  with  ir- 

64 


A    SLIGHT    MISTAKE 

ritating  persistency.  Overhead,  the  thunder  roared 
and  the  lightning  flashed  away  across  the  tree-tops. 
Once  a  tree  off  in  the  woods  somewhere  fell  with 
a  crash.  The  sea  pounded  on  the  rocks  as  if  trying 
to  drown  the  noise  of  the  thunder,  and  the  bell-buoy 
shrieked  a  shrill  mournful  protest  to  the  fury  of  the 
storm,  while  the  mangy  pup  cuddled  in  the  shelter 
of  the  duster  and  whimpered  miserably. 

When  the  storm  had  at  last  spent  its  fury  and 
rumbled  away  to  the  west,  twilight  had  fallen  in 
earnest  and  in  the  woods  it  was  as  dark  as  if  it 
were  night.  Wet,  cold  and  hungry,  Algernon  at  last 
found  his  way  out  of  the  woods  to  the  coast.  There 
were  still  a  few  flashes  of  lightning  and  the  rain 
fell  drearily,  persistently.  Algernon  left  the  woods 
behind  to  emerge  on  a  narrow  path.  On  one  side 
was  the  sea  and  the  rocky  coast,  on  the  other,  the 
land  rose  in  a  steady  slope  to  a  large  house  stand- 
ing on  a  high  hill,  looking  out  to  sea.  Trees  sur- 
rounded the  place  on  three  sides,  but  the  fourth, 
that  to  the  sea,  had  hardly  a  shrub  to  break  the  su- 
perb sweep  of  lawn  down  to  the  cliffs.  The  house 
was  large  and  in  the  dim  light  looked  more  like 
an  old  Norman  castle,  perched  high  on  its  rocky 
crags,  than  a  New  England  farmhouse.  Lights 

65 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

glimmered  here  and  there  in  the  gathering  darkness, 
from  the  front  hall  to  the  servants'  quarters,  and 
also  up-stairs,  in  my  lady's  chamber. 

"I  am  sorry  to  have  to  spoil  your  summer,  Molly 
O'Toole,"  said  Algernon,  "but  just  at  present  I 
should  be  still  more  sorry  to  go  without  a  square 
meal  and  a  comfortable  place  to  dry  myself — and" — 
with  a  glance  at  the  forlorn  pup,  sitting  on  his 
haunches  in  worshipful  expectancy — "my  dog." 

He  made  his  way  to  the  side  terrace,  on  which 
opened  the  windows  of  the  hall  and  the  dining- 
room.  He  peered  curiously  into  the  former  through 
a  window.  It  was  dimly  lighted  by  the  flickering 
flames  of  the  fire  in  an  enormous  fireplace,  but  Al- 
gernon could  see  that  it  was  very  wide,  paneled  in 
dark  oak,  with  heavy  rough  uncovered  beams  for 
the  ceiling.  The  wide  low  stairway  led  up  into  the 
dimly  lighted  hall  above.  The  place  was  furnished 
with  massive  oak  tables  and  chairs  in  conformity 
with  the  Norman  castle  effect  of  the  exterior  of  the 
house.  Two  quaint  old-fashioned  settles  stood  on 
either  side  of  the  hearth,  while  on  the  mantel  above 
were  odd-shaped  mugs  and  steins,  long  Dutch  pipes 
and  queerly  carved  tobacco  jars.  On  the  wall  hung 
guns  and  antique  powder-horns,  and  still  higher, 
the  head  of  the  only  moose  the  late  Mr.  Todd  had 

66 


had  the  luck  to  kill.  Huge  doors  on  either  side  of 
the  hall  gave  pleasant  glimpses  of  rooms,  warm  and 
cozy,  of  dancing  fires  and  softly  shining  lamps. 
"Ah!"  said  Algernon.  "Me  for  home!" 
He  made  his  way  to  the  front  door  and  rang  the 
bell  long  and  loudly,  unconscious  that  he  would  not 
be  admitted  in  his  rain-soaked  garments,  and  cer- 
tainly not  recognized  as  the  master  by  even  Molly 
herself,  who  had  seen  him  but  dimly  for  the  first  and 
only  time  that  night  in  the  darkened  rose-garden, 
shadowed  by  the  many  trees  and  bushes.  No  one 
answered  the  bell,  however,  and  he  rang  again  with 
the  same  result  He  left  the  door  impatiently  and 
tried  the  windows,  all  of  which  reached  the 
ground.  But  they  were  all  shut  and  locked,  and  he 
could  only  catch  fascinating  and  alluring  glimpses 
of  great  armchairs  and  dancing  flames.  He  went 
around  to  the  back  of  the  house  and  pounded  on  the 
rear  door,  and  still  no  one  came.  He  glanced  to- 
ward the  stables.  They  were  gaily  lighted,  early 
as  it  was,  and  from  the  upper  rooms  came  the  sound 
of  revelry,  the  clatter  of  dishes  and  the  merry  hum  of 
voices,  mingled  with  the  occasional  yelp  of  a  dog 
and  the  boisterous  guffaws  of  a  jovial  company. 

"Mistress  away  and  the  servants  celebrating  in 
the  barn,"  thought  Algernon  disgustedly. 

67 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

He  prowled  around  until,  finding  a  pantry  win- 
dow in  which  the  screen  was  unfastened,  he  pushed 
it  open  and  climbed  in.  The  pantry  was  dark,  but 
through  the  crack  of  the  door  he  saw  a  ray  of  light 
and  groped  his  way  toward  it,  his  outstretched 
hands  telling  him  what  place  he  had  entered.  Open- 
ing the  door,  he  found  himself  in  the  dining-room. 
It  was  a  counterpart  of  the  hall :  dark  oak  paneling, 
rough  beams  overhead,  enormous  fireplace. 

Drawn  up  in  cozy  proximity  to  the  genial  warmth 
of  the  flames  was  a  table,  candle-lighted,  spread 
with  snowy  damask  and  set  with  a  dainty  meal  as 
though  in  readiness  for  the  return  of  the  master  and 
mistress.  There  were  sliced  chicken  and  ham,  butter, 
gleaming  yellow  among  melting  squares  of  ice, 
olives,  stuffed  and  swimming  in  oil,  and  salad  with 
its  lettuce  leaves  crisp  and  green.  There  were  nuts 
and  fruits,  apples,  plums,  peaches,  and  a  dish  of 
early  melons.  Places  were  laid  for  two  and  at  each 
place  were  several  wine-glasses.  "Ah,"  breathed 
Algernon,  "if  only  Jimmy  were  with  me  now  and 
no  longer  an  ass!  What  greater  joy  can  heaven 
afford  than  a  square  meal  when  you  are  hungry?" 

He  picked  up  a  candle  and  went  again  to  the  pan- 
try and  through  that  to  the  kitchen.  The  place  was 
deserted,  but  after  opening  numerous  doors,  he 

68 


A    SLIGHT    MISTAKE 

found  the  refrigerator  and  returned  to  the  dining- 
room  with  the  bottles  that  he  had  found  waiting  on 
the  ice.  The  pup,  whom  he  had  lifted  in  through 
the  window  ahead  of  himself,  followed  him  closely 
as  he  went  back  and  forth,  fearful  of  being  left  alone 
in  the  strange  place  made  dangerous  by  the  sound 
of  distant  barks,  foretelling  the  near  presence  of 
unfriendly  dogs. 

"You  live  high,  Molly,"  remarked  Algernon  as  he 
uncorked  one  of  the  bottles.  "Your  nerve,  however, 
is  my  pleasure  to-night.  Here's  to  our  meeting, 
Molly  O'Toole,  and  good  luck  to  you !" 

He  bowed,  with  his  hand  on  his  heart,  to  the 
empty  chair  across  the  table  and  raised  the  glass  to 
his  lips  with  a  flourish.  Then  he  sank  into  the  chair 
behind  him  and  fell  to  on  the  dainty  meal  with  a 
relish,  the  pup  on  the  rug,  gorging  himself  on  tit- 
bits such  as  he  had  never  dreamed  existed. 

When  Algernon  had  eaten  all  he  wanted,  he  took 
his  wine  into  the  hall,  drew  a  small  table  up  to  the 
fire,  and  finding  matches  and  cigars  on  the  mantel, 
prepared  to  enjoy  the  evening.  The  nights  grow 
chilly  early  on  the  coast  of  Maine,  and  the  fire  was 
more  than  welcomed.  Sinking  into  the  soft  depths 
of  a  leather  chair,  Algernon  stretched  his  weary 
battered  legs  to  the  blaze,  and  the  pup,  dry  again, 

69 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

well-fed  and  happy,  sank  into  a  deep  and  peaceful 
slumber  in  the  rosy  glow  of  the  flames. 

"What  more  can  heaven  offer?"  mused  Algernon 
again,  in  blissful  content. 

The  cigars  were  of  a  quality  to  compare  favorably 
with  the  wine  which  had  been  of  the  best,  and  be- 
tween them  and  the  genial  warmth  of  the  fire,  Al- 
gernon dozed  happily.  The  clock  at  the  head  of  the 
stairs  struck  eleven  slow  ponderous  strokes.  A  log 
fell  with  a  shower  of  sparks  and  Algernon  awoke. 
The  fire  was  almost  out  and  the  hall  dark  save  for 
the  subdued  lights  from  the  adjoining  rooms.  Al- 
gernon yawned,  stretched,  and  throwing  more  wood 
on  the  fire,  stirred  it  into  a  blaze.  He  drew  on  the 
duster  that  had  been  drying  over  a  chair-back,  as, 
in  the  absence  of  his  coat,  more  seemly  attire  in 
which  to  greet  a  lady  who,  he  decided,  would  arrive 
any  moment  now,  and  sank  comfortably  back  into 
his  chair  again.  He  was  just  dozing  off  when  the 
chuff-chuff  of  an  automobile  and  the  half-brave, 
half-fearful  growls  of  the  pup  awoke  him  effec- 
tually. The  front  door  opened  and  the  cool  damp 
air  of  the  night  rushed  in,  accompanied  by  the  loud 
throbs  of  the  machine  and  the  ripple  of  a  woman's 
laugh.  The  pup  cast  one  longing  look,  as  it  seemed 
to  Algernon,  at  the  seclusion  under  the  near-by  set- 

70 


A    SLIGHT    MISTAKE 

tie,  but  remained  stanchly  by  the  only  friend  who 
had  said  a  good  word  to  him  in  many  a  day,  sitting 
behind  his  master's  feet,  on  the  stubby  tail  that  would 
persist  in  getting  between  his  legs,  one  ear  cocked, 
small  nose  wiggling  and  bright  eyes  on  the  door. 

"Come  in  and  have  a  bite  to  eat,"  called  a  gay 
sweet  voice,  evidently  to  some  one  still  in  the  motor- 
car. A  man's  voice  replied  that  he  guessed  he 
would,  and  presently  the  two  entered,  Molly  O'Toole 
and  a  stranger,  a  tall,  broad-shouldered  young  fel- 
low, looking,  in  his  faultless  attire,  with  his  frank 
blank  face,  like  the  original  of  an  up-to-date  adver- 
tisement of  a  first-class  men's  clothing  store,  as  he 
stood  pulling  off  his  gloves,  his  cap  under  his  arm. 

Molly  wore  the  softest,  daintiest  and  most  ex- 
pensive of  automobile  wraps.  From  a  fleecy  cloud 
of  gray  veiling,  her  piquant  face  shone  radiant  as 
a  flower.  She  was  good  to  look  at  as  she  stood  there 
in  the  flickering  light  of  the  dancing  flames,  drawing 
off  her  gloves,  her  head  bent,  her  adorable  mouth 
dimpling  at  some  remark  of  the  stranger's.  Then 
she  pushed  back  her  veil  and  looked  around. 

"How  dark  it  is,"  said  she.  "No,"  in  answer  to  a 
question,  "I'm  not  sure  just  when  Algernon  will 
come." 

Algernon  rose  in  the  long  flowing  duster.    "He 


THE    UPPER   CRUST 

is  here,"  said  he.  "Algernon  Van  Rensellear  Todd, 
at  your  service."  And  he  bowed  gracefully  in  the 
firelight 

Molly's  face  turned  suddenly  white.  The  strange 
young  man,  however,  was  not  looking  at  her,  but  at 
the  grotesque  figure  in  the  shabby  duster,  the  mangy 
pup  sitting  at  his  feet,  and  his  eyes  filled  with  frank 
amusement  As  Molly  took  in  the  tall  figure,  the 
well-worn  duster,  the  shoes  that  were  down  at  the 
heels,  and  the  cotton  shirt  with  the  faded  tie,  the 
red  came  slowly  back  to  her  face  and  the  sparkle  to 
her  Irish  blue  eyes.  This  man  was  the  young  drum- 
mer whom  she  had  met  that  morning  in  the  road  and 
who  had  kindly  helped  her  with  the  balky  horse,  but 
most  certainly  was  not  the  immaculate  youth  who 
had  softly  whispered  to  her  amused  self  not  two 
months  since  in  the  darkened  fragrance  of  the  rose- 
garden,  though  in  figure  and  bearing  they  were 
marvelously  alike  and  their  voices  strangely  similar. 
Hardly !  She  laughed  a  laugh  of  amusement. 

She  tossed  her  gloves  on  the  table,  and  loosening 
the  wrap  at  her  throat,  she  threw  it  back,  pausing 
a  moment,  with  chin  up-tilted,  to  regard  the  unwel- 
come intruder  with  cool  indifference.  Then  she 
spoke  in  her  soft  sweet  voice  with  the  lilt  that  made 
one  think  vaguely  of  the  springtime. 

72 


A    SLIGHT    MISTAKE 

"You  must  have  been  uncomfortable  sleeping  in 
that  chair,"  said  she.  "There  are  plenty  of  beds  up- 
stairs. Why  did  you  not  ask  the  servant  to  take  you 
to  one?" 

"I  have  not  seen  any  of  your  servants,  except  my 
humble  self,"  said  Algernon  and  bowed  again, 
gracefully  in  the  firelight 

The  girl  was  startled  and  angry.  "How  did 
you  get  in?"  she  asked. 

"Through  the  pantry  window,"  returned  Alger- 
non ;  "I  and  my  dog,"  and  he  motioned  to  the  mon- 
grel pup  sitting  beside  him  on  the  great  fur  rug. 

"A  thief,"  sneered  the  girl.  "Why  did  you  not 
take  what  you  wanted  at  once  and  leave?" 

"I  was  waiting  for  you,"  said  Algernon,  admiring 
eyes  on  the  face  of  the  indignant  girl. 

"Meanwhile,"  said  she  coolly,  "I  am  glad  to  see 
that  you  have  made  yourself  at  home,  as  you  cer- 
tainly seem  to  have  done." 

"I  have,"  agreed  Algernon.  "Won't  you  do  the 
same?" 

"See  here,  my  man,"  interrupted  the  stranger, 
"you  had  better  take  your  dog  and  go."  He  opened 
the  front  door  and  motioned  Algernon  to  be  gone. 

Algernon  glanced  at  him  and  decided  that  he  was 
Hancock,  the  owner  of  the  Pines,  and  realizing 

73 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

how  late  it  was,  he  chuckled  as  he  recalled  the  gos- 
sip of  that  afternoon. 

"Come,"  said  Hancock  sharply.  "Get  out  of  town 
as  quickly  as  you  can  and  if  the  lady  is  willing, 
neither  of  us  will  speak  of  this  to  the  authorities." 

"Certainly,"  said  the  girl.  "Leave  at  once  and  I 
shall  say  nothing." 

There  was  no  need  of  exposing  a  girl  before  a 
comparative  stranger,  a  girl  with  a  mouth  like  a 
crimson  rose  and  angry  intrepid  eyes.  To-morrow 
would  be  time  enough.  Molly  deserved  some  con- 
sideration for  the  pleasure  she  was  giving  him  in 
this  rare  and  delightfully  original  situation  she  had 
created. 

"Excuse  me,"  said  Algernon  gaily,  "but  you  have 
made  a  slight  mistake." 

"You  said  you  got  in  by  the  window — "  said  the 
girl,  puzzled. 

"I  did,"  admitted  Algernon;  "but  first  I  rang  the 
front  door  bell  and  pounded  at  the  back.  No  one 
came,  so,  as  I  was  wet  from  the  rain  and  chilly  from 
standing  outside,  I  climbed  in  to  wait  for  you." 

A  faint  color  crept  into  the  girl's  cheeks,  her  eyes 
brightened  and  a  smile  struggled  to  dimple  forth  at 
each  corner  of  her  crimson  mouth.  Could  it  be  pos- 
sible that  the  youth  had  become  infatuated  at  their 

74 


A    SLIGHT    MISTAKE 

chance  meeting  that  morning  and  had  set  out 
promptly  to  woo  her  with  ardor  and  boldness?  The 
idea  was  amusing  and  seemed  the  only  answer  to 
the  problem,  for  on  what  other  errand  could  he  pos- 
sibly be  seeking  her  out? 

"Why  were  you  waiting  for  me?"  she  asked. 

"To  get  my  coat,"  said  Algernon. 

"Your  coat?" 

"You  took  it  with  you  in  the  cart.  Shall  we  call 
it  an  oversight  ?"  he  asked  gently,  a  smile  in  his  eyes, 
perfect  composure  in  his  manner. 

"Oh!"  said  the  girl,  and  laughed  gaily.  "Oh,  I 
am  so  sorry.  I  beg  your  pardon.  How  long  have 
you  been  waiting?" 

"I  got  here  about  five,  but  it  seems  longer,  for  I 
was  waiting  for  you."  His  voice  fell,  and  once  more 
the  girl  wondered  that  it  should  be  so  like  that 
voice  of  inspired  poetry  and  the  rose-garden  in  the 
moonlight. 

"I  beg  your  pardon  that  there  was  no  one  to  let 
you  in,"  said  she.  "I  shall  speak  to  the  servants 
about  this.  I  think  I  left  your  coat  in  the  cart.  I 
shall  find  out.  Please  sit  down." 

"Don't  bother,"  said  Algernon.  "I  can  go  to  the 
stable  and  see." 

"It  is  late.  Have  my  man  drive  you  back  to  the 
75 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

village ;  or  stay,  tell  him  to  put  you  up  for  the  night, 
that  I  say  so.  I  shall  telephone  him  at  the  Lodge." 

"I'll  be  going,"  said  Algernon,  picking  up  his  hat 
and  tucking  the  quivering  pup  under  his  arm.  He 
did  not  want  her  to  find  the  rifled  supper-table  while 
he  was  in  the  house.  This  was  no  time  for  explana- 
tions. 

She  was  smiling  now  and  contrite,  forgetful,  in 
her  own  error,  of  his  house-breaking.  "You  were  so 
kind  this  morning.  You  must  forgive  me  for  going 
off  with  your  coat." 

"That's  all  right,"  said  Algernon,  bowing  in  the 
doorway,  hat  in  his  hand,  pup  under  his  arm. 
"Please  don't  think  of  it  again.  Good  night" 

"Good  night,"  called  Molly,  "and  pleasant 
dreams." 

She  laughed  again  with  liking  for  the  fantastic 
stranger  and  amusement  at  the  situation,  and  Alger- 
non, catching  her  eye  as  the  door  closed,  laughed 
himself.  Oh,  Molly,  Molly,  mother's  fifty-ninth! 

Algernon  preferred  the  stable  to  the  Lodge,  and 
slept  long  and  peacefully  on  the  sweet  clean  hay 
in  the  loft  of  his  own  stable.  The  trampling  of  the 
horses  and  the  shrill  whistling  of  the  grooms  going 
about  their  morning  work  aroused  him  at  last.  He 
made  a  careful  toilet  in  one  of  the  wash-rooms  a 

76 


A    SLIGHT    MISTAKE 

groom  pointed  out  to  him,  and  having  breakfasted  in 
solitary  grandeur  in  the  kitchen,  he  hung  around 
chatting  with  the  stable  boys,  his  hands  in  his  pock- 
ets, his  hat  on  the  back  of  his  head.  The  Todds'  fam- 
ily coachman  had  been  forced  to  remain  in  the  city 
with  a  sick  wife  and  the  man  Molly  had  engaged  to 
take  his  place  was  a  tall  raw-boned  countryman, 
good-natured  and  talkative.  Mrs.  Todd's  wishes,  as 
far  as  they  pertained  to  the  stable  and  its  care,  had 
been  carried  out  to  the  letter.  Everything  was  in  ex- 
cellent order  and  could  not  have  been  better  if  the 
reliable  Patrick  had  been  there  himself  to  oversee  it. 

"Yes,"  admitted  Thomas,  in  answer  to  a  bit  of 
praise,  "everything  is  all  right  but  the  automobiles." 

"What's  the  matter  with  them?"  asked  Algernon 
in  the  calm  terms  of  ownership  that  greatly  amused 
Thomas. 

When  Mrs.  Todd  went  to  Europe,  said  Thomas, 
she  had  taken  a  car  and  her  chauffeur  with  her. 
The  rest  of  the  cars  had  been  shipped  to  Maine  with 
instructions  that  they  were  not  to  be  touched  until 
her  arrival  or  that  of  her  son,  Algernon. 

"Well,  Mrs.  Todd  didn't  bring  her  driver  up  with 
her,  and  there  ain't  no  one  in  this  place  that  knows 
anything  about  them.  Mrs.  Todd  keeps  saying  she 
is  going  to  send  to  the  city  for  a  man,  but  she  never 

77 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

does,  somehow.  Ain't  hardly  any  need  of  her  doing 
it,"  he  added.  "She  gets  auto  rides  enough  as  it  is." 

"That  so?    Let's  have  a  look  at  them." 

Thomas  had  no  objections  to  showing  everything 
about  the  village's  one  big  place  to  anybody  who 
wished  to  see  it,  and  led  Algernon  at  once  to  the 
garage. 

"We  keep  the  place  clean,  but  that  is  about  all  we 
can  do,"  he  explained. 

Algernon  nodded  and  inspected  the  four  machines 
he  knew  so  well,  while  an  idea,  fantastic,  persistent, 
amusing,  came  into  his  head  and  stayed  there,  grow- 
ing more  and  more  definite  and  more  and  more 
pleasing.  "Mama,"  he  thought,  "has  always  said 
that  she  wished  I  would  work,  even  if  it  were  at  the 
bottom  of  the  ladder.  Then,  too,  what  would  be  the 
use  of  my  living  up  at  the  big  house  all  alone? 
Mama  won't  be  here  for  a  month  yet  at  the  earliest, 
and  Molly  would  hardly  feel  like  staying  if  I  ex- 
plained just  where  and  when  she  and  I  have  met  be- 
fore. It  is  clear  that  she  doesn't  recognize  me,  and 
Pat,  the  only  one  besides  mama  who  would  upset 
my  fun,  is  in  the  city.  I  have  turned  over  a  new 
leaf  and  I  am  going  to  work  for  my  board.  Jove, 
I  haven't  had  such  a  pleasant  summer  for  a  decade !" 

"Guess  you  don't  often  have  a  ride  in  one  of  them, 
78 


A    SLIGHT    MISTAKE 

eh  ?"  chuckled  Thomas,  poking  Algernon  in  the  ribs. 

Algernon  winked.  "Huh,  who  would  want  to 
ride  when  they  can  walk?"  he  asked. 

Thomas  laughed  and  slapped  Algernon  on  the 
back.  "Same  here.  You  never  know  when  the 
darned  things  are  going  to  blow  up.  You  go  out  in 
one  of  them  things,  and  it's  dollars  to  doughnuts  you 
walk  home.  When  I  go  out  to  ride,  I  don't  want  to 
have  to  walk." 

"No  one  does,"  agreed  Algernon. 

They  went  out  and  Algernon  seated  himself  de- 
liberately on  a  bench  beside  the  door  and  began  to 
fill  his  pipe. 

"You  hang  around  as  long  as  you  want,"  said 
Thomas  generously.  "There's  plenty  here  for  a 
dozen  more  like  you." 

"Thanks  awfully,"  drawled  Algernon,  and 
Thomas,  hesitating  a  moment,  loath  to  leave  enter- 
taining company,  felt  the  force  of  duty  pulling  him 
away  and  departed. 

It  was  a  beautiful  day,  clear  and  cool  after  the 
storm  of  the  night  before.  Great  white  clouds 
drifted  by  overhead,  and  through  the  trees  one  could 
see  the  ocean,  blue  and  dancing  in  the  sunlight.  A 
white-winged  sailboat  was  beating  up  against  the 
breeze,  now  scudding  along  the  crest  of  a  swell,  now 

79 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

almost  disappearing  in  the  trough.  A  motor-boat 
passed  and  the  panting  of  its  engines  could  be  dis- 
tinctly heard.  The  sea-gulls  swooped  by  in  long 
airy  flights,  and  the  bell-buoy  had  a  laugh  beneath 
its  tears.  From  the  stable  came  the  tramp  and  whin- 
nying of  horses,  the  chatter  of  the  grooms  and  the 
splash  of  water  as  the  boy  cleaned  the  carriages.  A 
cat,  curled  up  on  the  bench  beside  Algernon,  purred 
loudly  and  contentedly.  The  yaller  pup,  having  been 
kindly  tolerated  by  the  high-bred  dogs  of  the  place, 
and  beginning  to  feel  timidly  at  home,  dozed  at  Al- 
gernon's feet  in  the  sunshine,  arousing  himself  now 
and  then  to  snap  at  the  fleas,  and  falling  back  with 
a  grunt  of  satisfaction. 

After  a  while,  Algernon  rose,  stretched  and  made 
his  way  to  the  garage.  Thomas,  returning  about 
noon-time,  stared  in  surprise  at  the  empty  bench, 
expecting  to  find  the  stranger  peacefully  asleep  in 
the  drowsy  warmth  of  midday,  for  no  one  about 
the  place  had  seen  him  leave,  and  in  the  country  a 
stranger's  every  step  is  marked  by  some  one  and 
commented  on. 

i  "Hullo!"  he  called,  looking  around.  "Where  are 
you?  Hi,  what  are  you  doing  there?"  as  he  caught 
sight  of  Algernon  through  the  open  door  of  the 

80 


A    SLIGHT    MISTAKE 

garage.  "Here,  you  don't  want  to  monkey  with  them 
machines.    Hi,  stop!" 

Algernon  straightened  up,  wiping  his  face  on  his 
sleeve.  It  was  growing  warmer  as  the  day  advanced 
and  he  had  been  working  for  the  last  two  hours 
about  as  hard  as  he  had  ever  done  in  his  life.  The 
perspiration  rolled  down  his  face  and  mingled  with 
the  streaks  of  oil  and  grease  that  adorned  his  coun- 
tenance. 

"Gosh,  I'm  hot,"  said  he. 

"Come  out  of  that,"  commanded  Thomas,  fear 
and  authority  in  his  voice.  "Mrs.  Todd  won't  want 
you  monkeying  with  her  machines." 

"Oh,  shucks!"  returned  Algernon  carelessly,  and 
nearly  disappeared  from  sight  under  one  of  them. 

"Hold  on  there,"  quavered  Thomas.  "Mrs.  Todd 
is  coming,  you  fool.  Come  out!" 

Algernon  only  grunted  from  beneath  the  machine. 
Thomas  stooped  to  grab  him  by  the  leg  and  drag 
him  out  by  main  force,  when  Molly  O'Toole  ap- 
peared in  the  doorway. 

"Good  morning,"  said  she.  "Who's  that,  Thomas? 
One  of  the  grooms  drunk  again  ?  You  want  to  keep 
them  out  of  the  garage,  I  told  you.  I  can't  have 
them  fussing  with  the  cars." 

81 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

Algernon  squirmed  out  and  bowed  gaily,  like  an 
old  friend.  His  sleeves  were  rolled  up  and  the  long 
duster  was  tightly  buttoned  down  the  front,  his  hair 
was  mussed,  and  his  face  covered  with  grease,  but 
Molly  recognized  her  gallant  of  the  day  before  and 
a  sudden  amused  twinkle  came  to  the  surface  of  her 
blue  eyes.  What  was  her  persistent  caller  up  to 
now?  Algernon  smiled  with  pleasure  at  the  sight 
of  her.  She  was  in  one  of  the  stiff,  white,  shirt-waist 
suits  he  had  dimly  perceived  in  the  rose-garden. 
But  now  a  white  snood  of  folded  ribbon  was  bound 
around  the  curly  softness  of  her  black  hair,  which 
tumbled  loose  here  and  there  over  her  ears  in  a  dis- 
order that  Algernon's  fingers  itched  to  rearrange. 
Down  the  front  of  her  otherwise  immaculately  clean 
skirt  was  a  disfiguring  grass  stain.  Her  eyes  were 
laughing,  her  cheeks  flushed,  and  Molly  O'Toole, 
standing  in  the  sunshine  of  the  doorway,  looked 
neither  mistress  nor  housekeeper,  but  little  girl  sud- 
denly brought  to  account  for  some  mischief. 

"Good  morning,"  said  Algernon. 

"Good  morning,"  said  she.  "Were  you  looking 
for  your  coat  under  one  of  the  cars  ?" 

Algernon  laughed.  "I  found  my  coat,  thank  you." 

"Then  what  were  you  doing  under  the  car?" 

"Overhauling  it." 

82 


A    SLIGHT    MISTAKE 

"Who  told  you  you  could?" 

"No  one." 

"Then  what  did  you  do  it  for?" 

"Wanted  to." 

"Don't  always  do  everything  you  want  to,"  ad- 
vised the  girl.  "You  might  get  into  trouble." 

"If  I  wanted  to  do  a  thing,  the  doing  of  it  would 
compensate  for  the  trouble,"  said  Algernon. 

"Not  always,"  said  the  girl,  as  one  who  knew  by 
experience. 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  Algernon  with  the  happy  opti- 
mism of  a  few  millions  behind  one  in  a  safety  vault. 
"With  the  right  mental  training,  you  will  simply  re- 
member the  fun  you  had  and  forget  the  trouble — 
be  above  it." 

"You  can't,"  insisted  the  girl  firmly.  "Not  when 
you  are  in  trouble." 

"When  I  am  in  trouble,"  said  Algernon  simply, 
"I  get  out  of  it." 

The  girl  laughed.   "Who  are  you?" 

"Your  new  chauffeur,"  said  Algernon. 

The  girl  bit  her  lip,  and  an  angry  flush  deepened 
on  her  rounded  cheeks.  The  laugh  went  out  of  her 
eyes  and  she  regarded  him  coldly,  scornfully.  "You 
were  very  kind  to  me  yesterday,"  said  she.  "Why 
make  me  sorry  that  I  let  you  help  me?" 

83 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

Algernon  flushed  in  his  turn,  and  his  eyes  soft- 
ened with  contrition.  "Excuse  me,"  he  begged.  "I 
am  afraid  I  did  not  put  it  exactly  as  I  intended.  I 
have  been  a  chauffeur  in  the  city,  New  York.  I  know 
all  about  cars.  I  am  in  need  of  a  job.  May  I  be  your 
chauffeur?  Thomas  told  me  that  you  had  none  and 
were  going  to  send  to  the  city  for  one." 

The  girl  nodded.  "I  need  a  chauffeur,"  she  lied, 
looking  frankly  at  Algernon.  "Have  you  any  refer- 
ences ?" 

"No,"  said  Algernon. 

"I  am  afraid  I  should  have  to  have  references. 
Mr.  Todd  is  very  particular  about  the  cars.  I  could 
not  have  them  injured  while  he  is  away." 

"I  didn't  have  any  references  yesterday  when  I 
made  the  horse  go,"  said  Algernon  gently. 

The  girl  laughed.  "But  that  was  not  a  permanent 
place,"  said  she. 

"Let  this  be  temporary  until  I  can  ask  you  for 
references,"  suggested  Algernon. 

The  girl  laughed.   "You  might  ruin  the  cars." 

"Did  I  ruin  the  horse?" 

"Do  you  know  as  much  about  cars  as  you  did 
about  horses  ?" 

"More,  a  great  deal  more.  I  can  take  a  car  apart. 
I  would  hesitate  about  doing  so  to  a  horse." 

84 


A   SLIGHT   MISTAKE 

The  girl  bit  her  lip  and  turned  to  look  out  of  the 
open  doorway,  across  the  smooth  green  lawn  to  the 
distant  blue  of  the  ocean  and  the  little  sailboat  beat- 
ing up  against  the  breeze.  This  stranger,  with  his 
persistence,  his  audacity,  his  gay  good  humor,  was 
delightfully  amusing;  he  was,  besides,  entirely  at 
his  ease,  even  last  night  when  caught  dozing  in  the 
hall,  his  dog  at  his  feet.  Her  woman's  intuition, 
sharpened  by  her  constant  contact  with  the  world, 
told  her  she  could  trust  him,  and  the  temptation  to 
have  a  man  to  look  after  the  cars  and  take  her  out 
in  her  own  machine  was  irresistible,  and  yet  she 
hesitated,  reason  struggling  with  desire. 

"For  whom  did  you  work  in  the  city?"  she  ques- 
tioned. 

"I  had  my  own  car,"  explained  Algernon. 

"Where  is  it  now  ?"  she  asked. 

Algernon  was  standing  beside  it  at  that  moment, 
but  he  did  not  mention  the  fact  "It  didn't  pay," 
said  he  simply. 

The  girl  nodded  in  quick  sympathy,  touched  by 
the  pity  of  so  many  business  undertakings  that 
"didn't  pay."  "There  are  so  many  taxicab  com- 
panies now,"  she  declared,  "that  I  suppose  a  single 
man  wouldn't  stand  any  show.  Why  didn't  you  go 
to  a  smaller  place,  some  little  town,  you  know?" 

85 


THE   UPPER   CRUST 

"Didn't  have  the  money  to  start,"  returned  Al- 
gernon glibly.  "I  would  have  had  to  rent  a  place 
to  keep  it,  bought  gasoline,  made  the  repairs  in  the 
garage  myself,  done  everything,  besides  pay  for 
board  and  lodging.  It  was  no  good."  He  shrugged, 
and  the  girl's  sympathy  mounted.  She  knew  so  well 
the  sordid  struggle,  the  terrible  discouraging  proc- 
ess of  "getting  started". 

"Did  you  sell  your  car?"  she  questioned  kindly. 

"I  had  raised  money  on  it,"  said  Algernon,  and 
she  understood.  She  had  raised  money  on  so  many 
things  and  seen  them  go,  one  by  one,  to  pay  the  debt. 

"It's  too  bad,"  said  she.  "Poverty  makes  one  won- 
der why  any  one  felt  it  necessary  to  invent  a  hell, 
doesn't  it?" 

"It  does,  indeed,"  said  Algernon. 

He  had  all  her  sympathy  now  and  still  she  hesi- 
tated. "Did  you  try  to  get  a  place  as  chauffeur  in 
a  private  family  ?"  she  asked. 

"It  was  so  late  in  the  summer.  I  have  some  rela- 
tives north  of  here  and  thought  I  would  spend  the 
summer  with  them.  They  are  always  short  of  help. 
In  the  winter  things  will  be  different." 

"I  know.  In  the  summer,  we  are  bound  to  get  a 
job  in  the  winter,  in  the  winter,  we  can't  help  but 
find  one  in  the  summer."  She  frowned,  then 

86 


A    SLIGHT    MISTAKE 

laughed,  while  the  bitterness  that  had  crept  into 
voice  and  eyes  vanished  and  the  irresponsible  gaiety 
of  youth  returned.  "Well,  Mr. — er — " 

"Holmes,"  said  Algernon,  taken  by  surprise  and 
giving  the  first  name  that  came  into  his  head,  "Jo- 
seph Holmes." 

"Well,  Mr.  Holmes,  I  do  need  a  man  to  tend  to 
the  cars.  It  is  hard  to  get  one  willing  to  stay  all 
summer  in  this  quiet  out-of-the-way  place.  Suppose 
I  try  you  for  a  week?  Will  that  be  all  right?" 

"My  work  will  be  my  references,"  said  Algernon 
gaily.  "I  shall  get  a  car  in  order  and  take  you  out 
this  afternoon.  Shall  I  ?" 

"Yes,"  said  Molly,  adding  with  a  laugh :  "If  we 
get  stranded  anywhere,  we  can  send  for  Elizabeth." 

The  mangy  pup  drew  near  and  the  girl  bent  and 
patted  the  top  of  his  dirty  head  with  the  tips  of  her 
slender  fingers.  "He's  got  a  cute  little  face,"  said 
she.  "Why  don't  you  wash  him  with  some  dog  soap? 
We  have  some.  Ask  one  of  the  grooms  for  it.  A 
gentleman  is  known  by  the  baths  he  takes."  She 
laughed,  and  nodding  gaily,  turned  and  strolled 
away  to  inspect  the  stables,  followed  by  the  defer- 
ential Thomas. 


TWO  DIPS  IN  THE  SEA 

MOLLY  accepted  the  new  chauffeur  with  a 
mixture  of  delight  and  fear.  As  a  chauf- 
feur, he  filled  a  long-felt  want,  but  who  was  he  and 
where  did  he  come  from?  She  had  engaged  him 
out  of  pure  audacity  and  an  instinctive  belief  in  his 
decency,  which  could  hardly  be  said  to  be  confirmed 
by  his  participating  the  night  before  in  the  meal 
she  had  had  prepared  for  herself  and  Hancock.  So 
spoke  reason.  But  the  desire  to  have  a  chauffeur  as 
completing  the  role  of  Mrs.  Todd,  and  womanly  in- 
tuition that  she  could  trust  him,  for  the  time  silenced 
reason  and  the  perplexity  as  to  how  she  could  get 
rid  of  him,  if  Mrs.  Todd,  the  real,  should  suddenly 
return  before  she  had  a  chance  to  prepare  for  her 
coming. 

She  looked  at  Algernon  closely  as  he  presented 
himself  that  afternoon,  according  to  agreement.  He 
had  washed  and  shaved,  and  in  a  new  suit  of  clothes 
supplied  by  his  mistress*  generosity  from  the  stock 
of  various  uniforms  Mrs.  Todd  always  kept  on  hand 

88 


in  case  of  emergency,  he  looked  an  affable,  pleasant 
young  fellow,  with  mild  gray  eyes  and  smooth  sandy 
hair.  A  bit  stupid  he  was,  Molly  thought,  but  he 
apparently  knew  something  about  machines,  for  the 
car  he  brought  to  the  door  was  clean  and  in  good 
order,  and  its  engine  throbbed  steadily  and  rhyth- 
mically. 

Algernon  had  presented  himself  with  some  mis- 
givings, fearful  that  Molly  might  chance  to  recog- 
nize him  at  last,  though  that  night  he  had  whispered 
nonsense  into  her  ear  beside  the  sun-dial  it  had 
been  far  too  dark  among  the  shadows  of  the  rose- 
garden  for  the  girl  to  have  seen  him  clearly.  His 
voice,  he  realized,  still  puzzled  her,  as  it  had  the 
night  before  when  he  rose  suddenly  in  the  firelight. 
But  her  vague  wonder  quickly  passed  and  she  saw 
in  him  only  the  gallant  of  the  day  before,  who  had 
helped  her  with  her  horse  and  in  the  evening  had 
come  after  his  coat  with  a  persistence  and  audacity 
that  matched  her  own,  had  helped  himself  to  a  large 
part  of  the  supper  and  had  been  found  dozing  in  the 
comfortable  warmth  of  the  hall  fire.  Thus,  Alger- 
non Van  Rensellear  Todd  became  chauffeur  to  his 
mother's  housekeeper. 

They  gave  him  the  chauffeur's  room  over  the  gar- 
age, and  Thomas  introduced  him  below  stairs  with 

89 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

much  pride  and  little  ceremony.  It  was  just  at  din- 
ner-time, which  was  in  the  evening  to  the  still  un- 
abated wonder  of  the  entire  village,  when  Thomas 
lead  him  into  the  simple  dining-room  used  by  the 
servants  and  presented  him  bruskly  and  self-con- 
sciously. 

"This  is  Holmes,  Joe  Holmes,  the  new  chauffeur," 
said  he  shortly. 

Algernon  bowed  gracefully  in  the  doorway,  and 
seeing  the  cook  about  to  draw  out  her  chair  and 
pausing  a  moment  to  regard  the  newcomer  with 
frank  curiosity  and  no  word  of  greeting,  he  stepped 
forward  and  himself  drew  forth  the  chair. 

The  cook  was  fat  and  a  bit  mussy.  Her  face  was 
red  and  shining  from  the  heat  of  the  fire,  and  she 
was  tired.  Thinking  that  the  strange  young  man 
was  acknowledging  their  acquaintanceship  by  some 
horse-play,  she  laid  her  hand  on  the  back  of  the 
chair. 

"That's  my  chair,"  said  she  sharply. 

"And  my  pleasure,"  said  Algernon,  with  a  gallant 
bow  and  a  gesture  for  her  to  be  seated. 

The  cook  seated  herself  gingerly,  still  fearful  lest 
Algernon  jerk  her  chair  back  suddenly  and  leave  her 
sitting  on  the  floor,  a  joke  considered  below  stairs 
as  the  acme  of  rare  humor.  But  Algernon  merely 
l  90 


TWO    DIPS    IN    THE    SEA 

pushed  her  up  to  the  table,  and  a  smile,  half  pleased, 
half  sheepish,  crossed  her  tired  face.  The  waitress 
sniffed  her  disapproval  of  "airs",  as  she  called  those 
manners  which  she  herself  did  not  possess,  and  the 
parlor  maid  was  Algernon's  for  the  asking. 

"Hi,  there,"  said  Thomas  jovially,  "no  one  is  al- 
lowed to  flirt  with  the  cook." 

"To  flirt  with  a  pretty  woman,"  declared  Alger- 
non, "is  one  of  the  inalienable  rights  of  man." 

"That  means  an  extra  hunk  of  pie,"  grumbled 
Bates,  the  undergroom,  plaintively,  with  a  wink  for 
the  park/  maid,  who  was  young  and  pretty  and 
clearly  the  favorite  below  stairs. 

The  others  laughed,  and  Algernon,  with  a  polite, 
"May  I  ?",  sat  down  between  the  cook  and  the 
parlor  maid,  a  place  long  coveted  by  the  gardener, 
who  had  wooed  the  girl  with  a  silent  if  persistent 
constancy,  for  the  last  six  months.  Unaware  of 
any  smoldering  passions  he  may  have  aroused,  Al- 
gernon ate  his  meal,  paying  respectful  attention  to 
the  cook  and  her  opinions,  joking  with  the  coach- 
man, and  receiving  the  groom's  admiring  homage 
with  lofty  indifference.  The  gardener  he  aroused 
to  mild  fury,  the  waitress  he  flattered  and  with  the 
parlor  maid  he  flirted. 

His  first  appearance  at  breakfast  that  morning, 
91 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

following  the  story  of  his  midnight  repast,  had  been 
no  recommendation  as  to  his  honesty,  and  the  cook 
tried  not  to  like  him.  But  as  the  days  passed  and  the 
silver  showed  no  depreciation  in  amount,  she  began 
to  admit  that  maybe  her  suspicions  had  been  formed 
too  hastily.  A  tense  and  bitter  rivalry  arose  between 
the  waitress  and  the  parlor  maid ;  while,  after  a  day 
or  two,  Algernon  and  the  gardener  were  not  on 
speaking  terms  so  far  as  the  gardener  was  concerned, 
though  Algernon  was  wholly  unconscious  of  the  fact. 
The  next  morning  Algernon  arose  early  to  take 
a  dip  in  the  sea  before  breakfast.  He  made  his  way 
through  the  woods  to  a  small  beach  he  had  noticed 
the  day  before,  some  way  from  the  house.  It  was 
concealed  from  the  Todds'  regular  bathing  beach  by 
a  high  promontory,  while  on  the  landward  side  the 
trees,  which  grew  down  nearly  to  the  sand,  farther 
increased  the  privacy.  The  water  was  calm  in  the 
little  cove  and  the  waves  slid  up  the  beach  with  a 
pleasant  purring  ripple.  The  bell-buoy  moaned  rest- 
lessly, and  the  morning  breeze  was  full  of  the  fresh- 
ness and  freedom  of  the  sea.  Beyond  the  point  of 
land,  Algernon  could  see  his  sloop,  which  his  mother 
had  had  sent  up  for  him,  riding  at  anchor,  trim  and 
shipshape. 

92 


TWO    DIPS    IN    THE    SEA 

He  had  planned  to  go  swimming  as  he  used  to 
when  he  was  a  youngster  and  he  and  a  chosen  few 
had  turned  back  somersaults,  played  frog  and  made 
the  pot  boil  in  the  cool  clear  depths  of  the  old 
swimming  hole,  but  when  he  mentioned  his  inten- 
tion to  Thomas  and  the  two  grooms,  they  were  hor- 
rified. 

"You  don't  want  to  do  that,"  said  Thomas  ear- 
nestly. "Sometimes  the  missis  herself  goes  out  early, 
either  in  the  motor-boat,  or  to  swim,  and  she  keeps 
to  that  little  cove  because  the  water  is  quiet  there 
and  she's  a  bit  scared  at  getting  out  where  it's  rough 
when  she's  alone." 

So  Algernon  had  been  persuaded  to  borrow  the 
second  groom's  bathing  suit,  a  striking  affair  in  yel- 
low and  pale  pink.  Wrapped  in  a  horse  blanket, 
he  had  made  his  way  to  the  beach.  As  he  emerged 
from  the  woods,  he  thanked  his  stars  that  he  had 
followed  the  advice  of  the  admiring  three.  At  the 
water's  edge,  her  back  to  the  shore,  the  waves  gently 
washing  around  her  slim  stockinged  feet,  stood  a 
girl.  She  wore  a  faded  blue  bathing  suit,  and  her 
hair  hung  down  her  back  in  a  thick  dark  braid,  tied 
at  the  end  with  a  bit  of  ribbon.  With  her  hands  on 
her  hips,  she  stood,  light  and  graceful,  her  head  bent 

93 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

slightly  forward  as  if  she  would  please  her  ears  for 
a  moment  with  the  seductive  song  of  the  sea  before 
she  yielded  herself  to  its  soft  embrace. 

Algernon  hesitated.  He  felt  that  the  groom's 
bathing  suit  did  not  exactly  enhance  his  beauty.  It 
had  been  too  big  around  the  neck,  and  the  groom 
had  obligingly  run  a  drawing  string  through  it  and 
drawn  it  up.  The  result  was  satisfactory  as  far  as  it 
went,  but  Algernon  felt  that  he  had  worn  things 
that  had  become  him  more.  He  did  not  care  to  look 
like  a  fool  to  the  long-limbed  graceful  girl  at  the 
water's  edge.  While  he  stood  undecided  whether  to 
withdraw  or  not,  she,  as  if  aware  that  she  was  no 
longer  alone,  turned  and  saw  him.  She  started  and 
drew  back  a  step,  farther  up  the  beach  and  away 
from  him,  amusement  struggling  with  the  annoyance 
she  felt  at  having  her  solitude  broken  in  upon  by 
her  chauffeur.  Algernon  drew  the  blanket  more 
firmly  around  him  and  bowed,  unconscious  of  the 
appearance  he  made  in  his  sudden  rush  of  embar- 
rassment at  what  he  knew  she  felt  Algernon  had 
never  before  looked  upon  himself  as  any  one's  in- 
ferior socially,  and  had  never  been  so  looked  upon, 
and  the  experience  was  new  and  a  bit  humiliating, 
especially  when  the  other  was  young  and  pretty, 
with  laughing  eyes  the  deep,  deep  blue  of  the  sea, 

94 


TWO    DIPS    IN    THE    SEA 

and  a  saucy  mouth  that  dimpled  with  the  irrepress- 
ible mirth  of  the  irresponsible. 

"I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  he.  "I  did  not  know 
that  there  was  any  one  here.  I  shall  go." 

The  girl  flushed,  and  Algernon  grew  visibly  more 
embarrassed  and  every  moment  a  bit  more  haughty. 
His  head  was  up  and  in  the  toga-like  folds  of  the 
horse  blanket  he  looked  like  a  Roman  emperor  con- 
demning a  captive  to  death,  rather  than  a  newly-en- 

% 

gaged  chauffeur  of  no  references.  The  girl  kept  her 
eyes  rigorously  turned  from  his  bare  legs  visible 
beneath  the  blanket,  seen  in  one  all-embracing 
glance,  and  lending  emphasis  to  the  hauteur  of 
his  expression  and  voice.  But  for  all  his  incongru- 
ous attire  and  the  position  he  held  in  her  household, 
the  long  lank  youth  appealed  to  her,  aroused  in  her 
an  absurd  desire  to  know  him  better.  There  in  the 
sweetness  of  the  early  morning,  on  the  lonely  little 
beach,  with  the  sea-gulls  wheeling  overhead  and  the 
waves  laughing  at  one's  feet,  social  barriers  seemed 
an  anachronism,  the  foolish  rules  of  some  childish 
game,  and  she  longed  to  tell  him  not  to  go,  but  he 
held  the  blanket  with  a  firmness  which  suggested 
that  one  or  the  other  of  them  would  have  to  retire. 
"Please  stay,"  said  she,  controlling  her  desire  to 
laugh  joyously.  "I  shall  go." 

95 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

Algernon  read  her  surmise,  blushed  and  hero- 
ically let  the  blanket  fall  to  the  ground. 

"Shall  we  both  stay?"  he  asked.  "Up  there,"  with 
a  nod  toward  the  roof  of  the  great  house,  "we  are 
mistress  and  man,  but  down  here,  we're — just 
people." 

The  hot  blood  that  had  leaped  into  the  girl's 
cheeks  as  the  blanket  fell,  slowly  sank  again  and  she 
nodded  gaily.  He  was  a  chauffeur,  but  what,  after 
all,  was  she  but  housekeeper?  But  what  would  he 
think?  He  would  probably  presume  on  the  free- 
dom she  gave  him.  She  had  nodded  instinctively, 
but  now  she  hesitated.  She  felt  that  she  ought  to 
leave,  but  she  wanted  to  stay  and  have  her  swim. 
She  was  embarrassed  and  Algernon  was  embar- 
rassed, first  because  she  was  and  he  knew  it  and 
knew  why,  and  secondly  because  of  the  pink  and 
yellow  monstrosity  he  had  on,  tied  around  his  neck 
in  many  gathers  with  a  piece  of  string.  If  it  had 
been  possible  to  do  so  now  with  any  degree  of  dig- 
nity, he  would  have  reenfolded  himself  in  the 
blanket  and  stalked  majestically  away.  As  it  was, 
he  smiled  at  her,  said,  "Come  on,"  and  taking  a  run, 
dived  out  of  sight  in  the  tumbling  waves. 

When  he  came  up,  he  shook  the  water  out  of  his 
eyes  and  struck  out  for  the  sloop.  He  reached  it 

96 


TWO    DIPS    IN    THE    SEA 

and  drew  himself  up  on  the  deck  in  all  the  glory  of 
the  pink  and  yellow  bathing  suit.  He  glanced  at  the 
beach,  but  the  girl  was  not  there.  The  white  sand 
glistened  in  the  morning  sunshine,  and  the  waves 
ran  gurgling  up  and  slid  softly  back  again,  tumbling 
the  pebbles  and  seaweed  on  the  deserted  beach. 

"Wouldn't  condescend  to  swim  with  her  chauf- 
feur," thought  Algernon,  hurt  and  a  bit  angry. 
"Here  goes  for  a  dive." 

He  dived,  shot  upward  into  the  sunshine,  and 
shaking  the  water  out  of  his  eyes,  gazed  into  the 
face  of  the  laughing  girl,  not  three  feet  from  him. 
He  swam  to  her. 

"Aren't  you  pretty  far  out?"  he  questioned  anx- 
iously. 

She  shook  her  head.  Her  eyes  danced  and  her 
cheeks  were  scarlet.  She  looked  care-free  and  young 
and  wondrously  pretty.  She  dived  headlong 
through  a  swell  and  laughed  across  it  at  the  man's 
frightened  face. 

"I  won't  drown,"  she  said.  "Don't  look  so  wor- 
ried." 

She  clambered  up  on  the  sloop  and  sat  on  the  edge 
of  the  deck,  swinging  her  feet,  and  drawing  the 
heavy  mass  of  black  hair  over  her  shoulder,  began 
to  rebraid  it  with  wet  slim  fingers.  Algernon  drew 

97 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

himself  up  beside  her,  wondering  why  she  had  de- 
cided to  swim  with  him. 

"How  did  Elizabeth  go  yesterday  morning?"  he 
asked,  leaning  forward,  his  hands  holding  the  deck 
on  each  side  of  him.  "Was  she  stationary  or  mov- 
able?" 

"Movable,"  said  the  girl.  "It  was  fine.  She  didn't 
balk  once.  I  do  not  know  whether  it  is  reformation 
or  only  memory." 

"What's  the  difference?"  asked  Algernon  amused. 

"In  time,"  said  the  girl.  "The  first  is  permanent, 
the  last  temporary." 

All  her  hesitation  had  gone.  They  laughed  and 
talked,  dove  and  swam.  They  raced  to  the  beach 
and  she  forced  him  to  work  for  his  victory.  She 
stood  a  moment  in  the  breakers,  laughing  like  a  child 
at  the  buffeting  of  the  waves,  her  hair  tumbling 
around  her  face,  her  slim  brown  hands  raised  to 
keep  it  out  of  her  eyes. 

"I  wish  that  I  were  a  mermaid,"  said  she.  "I 
wish  that  I  never,  never  had  to  go  on  land  again." 

"I'm  glad  you're  not,"  said  Algernon.  "I  don't 
want  to  be  a  merman." 

"Your  logic  is  weak,"  she  laughed. 

"Thank  you/'  said  Algernon.  "Mama  generally 
calls  it  my  intellect." 

98 


TWO    DIPS    IN    THE    SEA 

"A  mother  should  know,"  she  teased. 

"I  don't  think  so,"  returned  Algernon.  "It's  an 
exceptional  mother  that  knows  her  own  child." 

"And  may  not  yours  be  an  exception?"  she  ques- 
tioned gaily. 

"She  isn't,"  said  Algernon.  "You  see  she  doesn't 
know.  She  thinks  I  am  studying  sociology,"  he 
added  in  explanation,  forgetful  of  the  story  he  had 
told  her  yesterday. 

"With  a  weak  intellect?"  she  exclaimed  mischiev- 
ously. 

"With  no  intellect,"  said  Algernon  gloomily.  "A 
weak  intellect  couldn't  do  it,  a  strong  one  wouldn't." 

"You  don't  like  to  study  then?"  she  questioned, 
amused,  and  glad  that  he  had  been  to  college. 

"As  I  look  at  it,"  said  Algernon,  hands  on  his 
hips,  feet  apart  to  steady  himself  in  the  tumbling 
waves,  "as  I  look  at  it,  it  is  a  detriment  to  memory." 

"How  is  that?"  she  asked. 

"The  more  I  study,  the  more  I  have  to  forget," 
explained  Algernon.  "And  the  more  one  forgets, 
the  harder  it  is  to  remember,  the  weaker  the  mem- 
ory grows." 

"Why  forget?"  she  asked. 

"Good  to  forgive,  best  to  forget,"  said  Algernon 
airily. 

99 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

She  laughed  and  ran  up  the  beach.  Algernon 
draped  himself  in  the  blanket  and  joined  her  by  the 
rock  where  she  was  putting  on  her  slippers  and  a 
long  brown  cloak. 

"Does  not  your  mother  know  that  you  are  a  chauf- 
feur?" she  asked  diffidently,  as  they  took  the  narrow 
path  through  the  woods,  she  slightly  in  the  lead. 

"No,"  said  Algernon.  "There  are  a  good  many 
things  my  mother  does  not  know." 

The  girl  pictured  his  mother,  a  gentle  woman,  old 
and  apparently  poor,  filled  with  loving  tender  am- 
bitions for  her  son,  having  scraped  and  pinched  to 
put  him  through  college.  In  that  boundless  sym- 
pathy of  hers,  that  was  always  so  quick  to  respond 
to  the  slightest  call  made  upon  it,  the  girl  seemed 
herself  to  feel  the  other  woman's  disappointment 
when  she  learned  that  her  son  was  only  a  chauffeur. 

"Ah,"  said  she,  "why  do  you  do  it?  Why  don't 
you  do  as  she  wants  you  to  ?" 

"I  hope  to  be  able  to,"  said  Algernon,  "some  day 
when  I  have  gone  to  heaven  and  become  an  angel." 

"No/'  said  the  girl,  frowning,  "I  mean  now,  when 
she  can  see  you  and  know  you  are  doing  as  she 
wants." 

"She  will  see  me  then,"   murmured   Algernon. 

IOO 


TWO    DIPS    IN    THE    SEA 

"Unless,"  he  added,  "you  would  visit  the  sins  of  the 
children  upon  the  mother." 

The  girl  laughed.  "It's  a  poor  rule  that  doesn't 
work  both  ways,"  said  she  flippantly,  dropping  the 
subject. 

Presently  they  came  to  the  parting  of  their  ways, 
his  leading  straight  inland  to  the  stables  and  garage, 
hers  following  the  coast  a  bit  farther,  thence  through 
a  rhododendron  thicket,  across  the  lawn  to  the  house. 
The  girl  paused.  It  was  plain  that  she  was  still 
thinking  of  his  mother. 

"Does  she  want  you  to  be  a  minister?"  she  asked 
with  vague  ideas  as  to  the  sociology. 

"I  think  not,"  said  Algernon.  "She  said  she 
wanted  me  to  do  a  man's  work  in  the  world." 

She  laughed  with  vexation,  then  frowned,  a 
glance  at  the  roof  of  the  great  house  seen  above  the 
tree-tops  recalling  to  her  a  realization  of  their  po- 
sitions as  he  conceived  of  them,  and  the  informality 
of  the  present  conversation.  The  social  barriers,  for 
a  time  forgotten  in  the  pleasure  of  the  swim,  crept 
upon  her  again  like  the  first  far-flung  tendrils  of 
the  approaching  fog. 

She  drew  her  cloak  closer  about  her,  and  with  a 
nod,  left  him  there  at  the  parting  of  the  ways. 

101 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

As  soon  as  he  had  finished  breakfast,  Algernon 
drove  into  the  village  and  bought  a  bathing  suit. 
He  had  no  money,  so  he  charged  it  to  Mrs.  Todd. 

"I  am  the  new  chauffeur,"  he  explained,  a  super- 
fluous bit  of  information,  as  the  fact  that  Mrs.  Todd 
had  a  new  chauffeur  had  not  only  reached  distant 
Brockton  itself  by  that  time,  but  also  a  highly-col- 
ored account  of  the  new  chauffeur's  arrival  and  en- 
gagement. The  explanation,  however,  of  why  a 
chauffeur  should  necessarily  need  a  bathing  suit  as  a 
part  of  his  regalia  to  be  furnished  by  his  employer 
was  lost  in  the  dim  haze  of  Algernon's  air  of  grave 
importance. 

As  Algernon  was  leaving  the  store,  Higgins  called 
to  him. 

"Er—  Mr.  Holmes." 

Algernon  turned. 

"Here  are  some  letters  you  might  as  well  take 
along  with  you.  This  one,"  holding  out  a  fat  bluish 
envelope,  postmarked  London,  and  addressed  to 
Miss  Molly  O'Toole,  Castle  Crags,  North  Brockton, 
Maine,  U.  S.  A.,  "belongs  up  to  the  Crags,  too,  but 
there  ain't  no  one  up  there  by  that  name  as  far  as 
we  can  make  out.  Mrs.  Todd  always  keeps  them, 
though." 

Algernon,  glancing  at  the  envelope,  recognized 
102 


TWO    DIPS    IN    THE    SEA 

his  mother's  familiar  handwriting.  He  smiled  with 
pleasant  enjoyment,  took  the  letters  and  departed. 

He  remembered  them  when  he  was  almost  at  the 
gates  of  Castle  Crags  and  pulled  them  out  of  his 
pocket  with  a  chuckle.  Two  were  from  well-known 
dressmaking  establishments,  the  third  had  the 
name  of  an  exclusive  firm  of  shoemakers  on  the  up- 
per left-hand  corner,  while  the  fourth  and  last  was 
the  one  from  his  mother. 

"Bills,"  he  thought,  amused,  returning  the  first 
three  to  his  pocket.  The  one  from  his  mother  was 
thick  and  Algernon  turned  it  over  and  over  thought- 
fully, as  if  an  examination  of  the  envelope  would  re- 
veal the  contents,  and  wondered  uneasily  if  it  would 
announce  that  his  mother  was  returning  sooner  than 
she  was  expected,  or  if  it  were  merely  instructions 
as  to  further  of  her  wishes. 

The  parlor  maid  told  him  in  the  course  of  half 
an  hour's  chat,  that  Mrs.  Todd  was  out  in  the  motor- 
boat,  so  he  left  the  letters  in  the  hall  and  spent  a 
long  morning  in  the  garage,  putting  the  cars  in 
order. 

The  next  morning  he  again  made  his  way  through 
the  woodland  path  to  the  little  beach.  The  new  bath- 
ing suit,  he  realized  with  calm  satisfaction,  was  not 
only  a  good  fit,  but  enhanced  whatever  slight  claim 

103 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

to  beauty  he  could  with  due  modesty  acknowledge. 
This  was  fortunate  as  it  was  the  only  one  Higgins 
had  in  stock.  Bathing  suits  in  that  locality  were  a 
superfluity  rather  than  a  necessity.  This  one  had 
been  left  over  from  a  few  years  before  when  some 
city  people  had  passed  the  summer  there  and  North 
Brockton  had  dreamed  for  one  short  delirious  while 
of  becoming  a  world-famous  summer  resort 

It  was  a  cold  gray  morning.  Fog  had  swept  in 
during  the  night  and  the  ground  was  as  wet  and  the 
woods  dripped  as  dismally  as  if  it  had  rained.  The 
sea  was  gray  and  sullen,  and  the  waves  rolled  up  on 
the  beach  with  no  tumble  of  glistening  foam  as  they 
had  done  the  day  before.  Algernon  shivered  and 
looked  for  the  girl.  The  tiny  seaweed-strewn  beach 
was  empty;  not  even  the  shabby  slippers  and  old 
brown  cloak  were  to  be  seen. 

Since  the  parting  yesterday  morning  in  the  woods, 
Algernon  had  been  filled  with  the  fear  that  she 
would  not  come  to  bathe  again,  that  her  idea  of  the 
social  barriers  would  not  let  her  go  of  her  own  ac- 
cord for  a  swim  with  her  chauffeur.  He  had  been 
quick  to  read  the  liking  for  him  he  had  seen  so  often 
in  her  eyes  and  knew  that  if  she  had  come,  now  when 
she  expected  to  find  him  there  on  the  beach,  it 
would  be  simply  because  that  liking  was  big  enough 

104 


TWO    DIPS    IN    THE    SEA 

to  overcome  her  feminine  clinging  to  social  form  and 
custom.  Was  her  liking  for  him  strong  enough?  All 
the  day  before  and  that  morning  as  he  made  his  way 
through  the  woods  he  had  been  filled  with  the 
dread  that  it  would  not  be,  had  told  himself  not  to 
be  a  fool,  that  it  certainly  couldn't  be,  and  all  the 
while  he  had  hoped  that  it  would  be.  But  it  was 
clear  now  that  she  did  not  care  enough. 

"She  didn't  care,"  thought  Algernon,  sud- 
denly losing  all  desire  for  a  swim  and  feeling 
vaguely  irritated  with  the  new  bathing  suit.  He  de- 
cided not  to  come  again.  The  beach  was  hers  and 
she  should  have  it  undisturbed  by  him,  but  now  that 
he  was  there,  he  would  swim  out  to  the  sloop,  dimly 
visible  through  the  fog,  and  then  go  in. 

He  was  passing  the  point  of  rocks,  that  jutting 
far  out  in  the  water,  hid  the  beach  from  sight  of 
the  float  and  bath-houses  of  Castle  Crags,  when  he 
heard  a  voice  call  to  him,  the  laughter  of  the  sea  in 
its  clear  sweet  tones.  He  turned  and  saw  the  girl 
sitting  on  the  rocks,  half  in  and  half  out  of  the 
water.  She  was  leaning  back  with  her  hands  clasped 
behind  her  head,  a  glistening  braid  of  hair  over 
each  shoulder.  She  looked  hardly  human  in  the  dull 
gray  light  of  the  fog,  more  like  some  spirit  from  the 
coral  depths  below. 

105 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"Hullo,  Lorelei,"  he  called. 

"Hello,  Boatman,"  she  answered.  "What  has  be- 
come of  the  pink  and  yellow  symphony  in  bathing 
suits?"  she  asked,  laughing  down  at  him  as  he 
found  precarious  foothold  on  a  rock  below  her.  "I 
thought  it  was  beautiful." 

"It  was  too  beautiful,"  said  Algernon.  "I  felt 
that  I  was  not  worthy  of  it" 

"Why  so  modest?" 

"It's  not  modesty,"  said  Algernon.  "Merely  a 
painful  regard  for  the  truth  when  faced  by  a  fact 
that  can  not  be  denied." 

"I  thought  men  rose  above  the  feminine  vanity  of 
caring  about  their  looks,"  said  she.  "I  thought  char- 
acter was  all  they  wanted." 

"It  is,"  said  Algernon,  "in  others."  He  laughed, 
oblivious  to  what  he  said,  conscious  for  the  moment' 
only  of  the  blessed  fact  that  she  had  cared  enough  to 
come.  When  she  had  reached  the  beach  and  found 
him  not  there,  she  had  hidden  her  slippers  and  cloak 
and  had  swum  out  to  the  rock  to  wait  concealed  un- 
til he  came,  and  then  to  decide  whether  or  not  to 
let  her  presence  be  known,  her  friendship  still  strug- 
gling with  her  upbringing  in  the  social  barriers  of 
formality. 

1 06 


TWO    DIPS    IN    THE    SEA 

"In  other  men,  maybe,"  admitted  the  girl.  "In 
women  all  you  men  want  is  good  looks." 

"Please,"  said  Algernon.  "You  sound  just  like 
mama." 

The  girl  nodded.  "Well,  it's  so.  A  woman  wants 
character  in  the  man  she  marries,  a  man  wants  only 
good  looks  in  the  wife  he  gets." 

"We  realize,"  said  Algernon,  "that  one  character 
in  the  family  is  enough." 

"But  it's  so  often  a  caricature,"  she  sighed. 

"You  can't  blame  us  for  that,"  protested  Alger- 
non. "You  choose  the  man." 

"Many  are  married,  but  few  are  chosen,"  she  re- 
turned, laughing  and  slipping  from  the  rock  into 
the  calling  sea. 

They  swam  for  a  while,  and  when  the  girl  grew 
tired  they  sat  on  the  sloop  and  talked. 

"You  are  serious,  Lorelei,"  said  he.  "You  should 
not  be,  not  in  the  sea.  It  is  forbidden." 

Molly  blushed.  She  had  been  wondering  what 
Hancock  would  do  if  it  reached  his  ears  that  she 
had  made  enough  of  a  friend  of  her  chauffeur  to  go 
swimming  with  him.  Expressed  thus  frankly,  the 
fact  seemed  impossible  of  belief,  and  she  knew  how 
difficult,  if  not  unlikely,  it  would  be  for  him  to  over- 

107 


THE    UPPER   CRUST 

look  the  fact  and  for  her  to  explain  it.  Would  it 
put  an  end  to  Hancock's  visits,  she  wondered,  and 
if  it  did,  how  could  she  get  him  back? 

"I  was  wondering,"  said  she  frankly,  and  yet  not 
quite  frankly,  "what  people  would  say  if  they  knew 
I  went  swimming  with  an  unknown  youth." 

"What  does  your  conscience  say?"  asked  Alger- 
non, looking  at  her  pleadingly.  He  would  hate  to 
have  her  stop  coming  now  that  she  had  already 
come  once. 

She  flushed  slightly,  reading  his  thought,  and 
clasping  her  hands  around  her  knees,  gazed  far 
out  to  sea.  "I  do  not  know,"  said  she.  "I  left  it  on 
the  shore  with  my  slippers  and  cloak." 

"Ask  it,"  said  Algernon,  "when  we  go  back." 

"I'd  better  not,"  said  she.  "I  am  afraid  my  con- 
science would  be  horrified." 

"Why  should  it  be?"  pleaded  Algernon.  "I  am 
not  an  unknown  youth  any  more.  We  have  known 
each  other  a  long  time." 

"But  you  were  unknown,"  she  persisted,  politely 
refraining  from  naming  her  real  objection  that  he 
was  her  chauffeur. 

"But  you  didn't  go  swimming  with  me  when  I4 
was  unknown,"  argued  Algernon,  whimsically  ear- 
nest. "You  were  a  baby  once,  but  I  wouldn't  go 

1 08 


swimming  with  a  baby  any  more  than  you  would 
with  an  unknown  youth." 

"Not  without  a  nurse-maid,  anyway,  I  hope,"  said 
she,  laughing. 

"Nor  you  without  an  introduction." 

She  scrambled  to  her  feet  "When  the  bell-buoy 
calls  three  times,  I  must  go  in,"  said  she. 

They  raced  for  the  beach,  and  again  she  made 
him  work  hard  for  the  victory.  And  once  again  as 
they  drew  near  the  parting  of  the  ways  and  she 
caught  a  glimpse  of  the  house  roof  above  the  tree- 
tops,  she  withdrew  behind  the  social  barriers  be- 
tween them.  And  Algernon  grew  embarrassed  with 
an  embarrassment  he  could  not  fight  against  and 
with  which  he  never  remembered  to  have  been  af- 
flicted before,  and  again  he  grew  haughtily  cold, 
wrapping  his  blanket  around  him  with  the  air  of  a 
Roman  emperor,  while  the  girl  strove  not  to  laugh 
and  kept  her  eyes  firmly  turned  from  the  incongru- 
ous spectacle  of  his  bare  legs.  They  parted  and  Al- 
gernon watched  her  walk  away  through  the  aisles  of 
the  dripping  trees  with  a  mingling  of  feelings  he  had 
never  suffered  before  when  parting  with  a  pretty 
girl,  feelings  of  relief  and  yet  dismay,  of  foolish 
joy  that  had  no  reason,  and  sadness  that  had  less, 
feelings  strange  and,  on  the  whole,  disagreeable. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  WOMAN  OF  IT 

LATER  in  the  morning,  as  Algernon  smoked 
dreamily  in  the  shade  of  some  cliffs,  he  noticed 
Molly  and  Hancock  out  in  the  motor-boat,  and  in 
the  afternoon  Hancock  came  for  the  girl  in  his 
great  red  touring  car.  Algernon  shook  his  head  in 
the  privacy  of  the  garage  as  they  whirled  by.  Molly, 
he  thought,  should  be  careful  or  there  would  be  so 
much  gossip  it  would  get  into  the  papers  and  that 
would  be  the  end  of  the  pleasant  little  arrangement 
they  had  all  made  for  the  passing  of  the  summer 
and  early  fall.  Of  all  places  best  suited  for  the 
growth  and  spread  of  gossip,  the  country  was  the 
most  to  be  desired. 

"They  will  talk  about  her  on  the  slightest  excuse," 
he  mused,  as  he  tinkered  with  the  machines,  "and 
thoroughly  enjoy  it.  She  ought  to  be  careful.  If 
the  great  name  of  Todd  once  gets  into  the  papers, 
mama  will  be  sure  to  see  it  and  then  good-by  to  my 
job  and  my  worthy  ambition  to  work  for  my  keep. 
She  is  so  clever,  I  wonder  why  she  is  so  stupid  as 

no 


THE    WOMAN    OF    IT 

not  to  realize  that  she  is,  for  the  time  being,  the 
center  of  the  universe  up  here,  and  that  everything 
she  does  will  be  talked  about?  I  suppose  that's  the 
woman  of  it,  like  the  ways  of  God,  past  finding  out. 
I  wonder  what  her  idea  was  when  she  undertook  to 
play  the  role  of  mama." 

Becoming  engrossed  in  his  subject,  he  lighted  his 
pipe  and  sought  the  quiet  and  shade  of  the  woods 
where  he  might  pursue,  in  peaceful  meditation  and 
without  any  danger  of  an  interruption,  the  lady's 
reasons  and  her  many  charms. 

After  dinner  that  evening,  Algernon  went  out  for 
a  run  in  the  roadster.  The  night  was  cool  and 
sweet,  with  a  touch  of  the  coming  fall  in  the  sharp- 
ness of  the  clear  air.  The  whippoorwills  from  dis- 
tant fields  and  hedgerows  seemed  to  be  calling, 
calling  one  over  the  hills,  beneath  the  starlit  heav- 
ens, and  the  white  driveway,  but  just  seen  in  the 
darkness,  beckoned  one  invitingly  to  come  and  fol- 
low it  as  it  wound  and  twisted  now  in  the  shadows 
of  the  trees,  now  in  the  open  with  the  salt  wind  in 
one's  face  and  the  dull  roar  of  the  breakers  in  one's 
ears. 

Unconsciously,  Algernon  turned  before  he 
climbed  into  the  car  to  glance  at  the  great  house 
on  the  hill,  discernible  by  a  twinkling  light  seen 

in 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

here  and  there  through  the  surrounding  trees.  He 
was  sure  Hancock  would  be  over  that  evening  as 
usual  and  the  thought  irritated  him.  Too  much 
gossip,  he  told  himself  firmly,  should  be  discouraged 
by  removing  the  cause  of  it.  But  would  she  go  out 
in  the  car  with  him?  And  as  he  put  the  question, 
he  blushed  with  fear  and  hope  and  longing  in  the 
dark  of  the  driveway,  with  only  the  pup  on 
the  seat  beside  him  to  see.  For  a  moment  he  hesi- 
tated, then  with  sudden  determination,  he  removed 
the  pup,  climbed  in  the  car  and  turned  boldly  up 
the  drive  toward  the  house. 

Lured  by  the  witchery  of  the  night,  the  girl  was 
sitting  on  the  side  terrace  overlooking  the  sea,  wait- 
ing, Algernon  surmised,  for  Hancock.  She  was 
leaning  forward  against  the  balustrade,  her  elbows 
on  it,  her  chin  cradled  in  the  cup  of  her  hands.  She 
was  gazing  straight  before  her,  across  the  lawn  to 
the  tumbling  waves.  The  days  were  growing 
shorter  and  it  was  almost  dark.  One  by  one  the 
stars  were  coming  out,  and  from  the  fields  the 
crickets  were  incessantly  calling.  The  sea's  monot- 
onous dirge  rose  and  fell,  and  now  and  then  one 
heard  the  wailing  cry  of  the  bell-buoy.  The  car 
stopped  and  the  girl,  all  in  white  from  her  feet  to  the 
band  of  snowy  ribbon  around  her  hair,  turned  her 

112 


THE    WOMAN    OF    IT 

graceful  head  slowly  and  gazed  a  moment  at  the  car, 
blinded  by  its  headlights.  Then  she  arose  and 
came  slowly  forward. 

"You  are  early,"  she  called  gaily,  as  she  ap- 
proached the  top  of  the  terrace  steps. 

"Beg  pardon,  ma'am,"  said  Algernon,  touching 
his  cap,  "I  understood  you  to  say  directly  after 
dinner." 

Recognizing  his  voice,  the  girl  stopped  a  moment 
in  surprise  and  then  leaned  forward,  one  hand 
shading  her  eyes  from  the  glare  of  the  lamps 
that  she  might  see  the  better.  Algernon  clutched 
the  wheel  and  gazed  straight  before  him  into  the 
shadows  of  the  trees.  Would  she  go  with  him,  or 
would  she  wait,  there  on  the  terrace  steps  in  the  cool 
of  the  evening,  for  that  other  one?  For  a  moment 
she  hesitated  as  she  had  on  the  beach,  then  with  a 
low  laugh,  she  came  forward. 

"Is  that  you,  Joe?"  she  asked.  "I  couldn't  see 
in  the  glare  of  the  lamps.  Yes,  I  said  directly  after 
dinner." 

She  turned  to  the  door  and  summoned  the  parlor 

maid.  She  sent  the  girl  for  her  cloak  and  motor  veil, 

4and  Algernon  watched  her  through  the  long  French 

'windows  as  she  put  on  the  cloak  and  adjusted  her 

veil  before  the  glass.    Then  she  came  out  and  the 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

parlor  maid  followed  her  to  the  door,  peering,  frank- 
ly curious,  over  her  shoulder  to  see  if  her  mistress 
were  going  out  with  Hancock  again  that  she  might 
report  it  below  stairs. 

Aware  that  she  was  being  critically  watched, 
Molly  strolled  slowly  out  to  the  terrace  steps.  At 
their  head  she  paused  and  spoke  to  Algernon. 

"Is  the  car  all  right  to-night,  Joe?"  she  asked, 
then  glanced  over  her  shoulder  at  the  maid  in  the 
doorway  and  called  in  her  clear  sweet  voice:  "If 
Mr.  Hancock  comes  to-night,  tell  him  I  am  out  in 
my  car  and  am  not  sure  when  I  shall  return." 

She  ran  lightly  down  the  steps  and  climbed  into 
the  car,  while  Algernon  sat  stolidly  at  the  wheel 
and  said  nothing.  He  did  not  speak  until  they  turned 
out  of  the  great  iron  gates  into  the  highway,  then 
he  stopped  the  car,  turned  to  the  girl  beside  him 
and  asked  respectfully : 

"Which  way,  ma'am?" 

Their  eyes  met  full  of  laughter  and  once  more 
the  social  barriers  tottered  and  fell  before  the  on- 
rush of  the  sudden  and  unquestioned  friendship 
that  each  felt  for  the  other  and  that  could  not 
be  gainsaid. 

"North,"  said  the  girl,  and  added:  "Why  the 
'ma'am'?" 

114 


THE    WOMAN    OF    IT 

"Just  for  show,"  said  Algernon  gaily,  "like  a 
general's  uniform." 

He  leaned  forward,  for  the  gently  moving  tree 
branches  made  a  confusing  pattern  of  light  and 
shadow  on  the  road  ahead,  and  quickened  speed, 
the  car  jumping  forward  like  a  spirited  horse  at 
the  touch  of  the  whip.  It  went  faster  and  faster, 
now  into  the  shadow  cast  by  a  grove  of  pines,  now 
out  again  into  the  starlight. 

"Do  you  like  it?"  questioned  Algernon. 

The  girl  nodded  without  speaking,  and  once  more 
Algernon  increased  the  speed.  He  leaned  forward, 
eyes  strained  ahead,  but  all  he  could  do  was  to  keep 
the  car  in  the  middle  of  the  road  as  much  as  pos- 
sible and  trust  to  luck  that  the  way  would  be  clear 
of  obstructions.  Bushes  and  trees  and  old  stumps 
cast  shadows  in  the  road  that  looked  like  stones, 
and  a  great  slab  of  rock  looked  as  gray  as  the  dusty 
road.  Something  was  the  matter  with  the  lamps, 
both  had  gone  out  and  the  car  was  on  the  rock  and 
over  it  before  either  of  the  occupants  was  aware 
of  its  proximity.  The  wind  had  sprung  up  and 
it  whirled  past  them  while  the  two  bent  their 
heads  before  it  and  Algernon  pulled  his  cap  on 
more  firmly.  Faster  and  faster,  they  swept  into  the 
darkness.  Trees,  bushes,  fences  rushed  by.  One 

"5 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

moment  the  light  of  a  farmhouse  would  shine  across 
their  path,  and  the  next  they  had  left  it  far  be- 
hind and  were  tearing  along  the  side  of  marshy 
lowlands,  across  which  came  the  salt  air  of  the 
sea  and  the  dull  roar  of  the  waves.  Then  of  a 
sudden,  a  hill  would  intervene  and  they  would  hear 
only  the  hum  of  the  engines  and  the  whish  of  the 
wind  past  their  faces. 

At  last  on  the  crest  of  a  steep  slope  as  they  were 
about  to  descend,  Molly  saw  on  the  farther  incline 
before  them  another  car,  climbing  easily  and  slowly 
up  the  hill,  unconscious  of  the  car  that  followed. 

"There's  another  car,"  whispered  the  girl  ex- 
citedly. 

"Can't  stop  on  this  hill,"  snapped  Algernon.  He 
threw  off  speed  as  much  as  he  could  and  applied 
the  brakes  carefully,  but  the  car  had  acquired  such 
momentum  that  it  rushed  down  ,one  hill  and  half- 
way up  the  other  before  it  showed  any  depreciation 
in  speed.  Those  in  the  car  ahead  heard  and  glanced 
back.  The  man  sitting  beside  the  driver  said  some- 
thing to  him  in  a  quick  command,  and  the  strange 
car  in  its  turn  leaped  forward  and  began  to  go 
faster  and  faster. 

Algernon's  eyes  gleamed.  It  was  clear  the  oc- 
cupants of  the  strange  car  did  not  wish  to  be  passed, 

116 


THE    WOMAN    OF    IT 

and  Algernon  had  no  intention  of  remaining  in  the 
rear. 

"Are  you  going  to  race  them?"  whispered  the  girl, 
peering  ahead  to  see  if  one  were  Hancock.  She 
knew  of  no  one  else  in  that  neighborhood  who  owned 
a  car,  and  the  string  of  touring  cars  that  passed 
steadily  all  day  on  summer  routes  to  Canada  and 
Montreal  generally  stopped  before  nightfall. 

"We  aren't  going  to  take  their  dust,"  answered 
Algernon  with  a  laugh.  "I  shall  let  them  reach  that 
tree  beyond  there  and  then  we'll  pass  them — " 

"Don't,"  begged  Molly.  "Please.  Something 
may  happen." 

"Nothing  will  happen,"  soothed  Algernon,  bend- 
low  over  the  wheel.  "And  with  the  roads  as  dry 
and  dusty  as  they  are  now,  we  shan't  be  able  to  see 
a  thing  if  we  ride  behind  them  all  the  way.  Do  you 
want  to  do  that?" 

"No,"  the  girl  shouted  to  be  heard  above  the 
throbbing  of  the  two  engines  and  the  rush  of  the 
wind.  "But  please  be  careful." 

"Trust  me,"  laughed  Algernon  joyously. 

The  car  ahead  was  soon  lost  to  sight  in  a  gray 
cloud  of  dust  and  Algernon  kept  his  far  enough  in 
the  rear  to  escape  the  worst  of  it,  but  near  enough 
not  to  lose  the  hum  of  the  engines  and  to  be  able  to 

117 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

pass  as  they  neared  the  tree  he  had  mentioned,  which 
stood  by  itself  in  a  small  clearing  affording  room 
for  one  car  to  pass  the  other.  They  flew  past  a  sign 
post,  seen  indistinctly  in  the  rush,  and  Molly  whis- 
pered to  Algernon  that  they  were  three  miles  from 
Rochester.  Then  the  machine  ahead  turned  sud- 
denly and  dashed  down  a  narrow  branch  road. 

Tingling  with  the  joy  of  the  race,  Algernon 
turned  obediently  and  followed.  They  tore  down  a 
small  hill  across  a  rickety  bridge  and  up  the  hill 
on  the  farther  side.  Through  the  August  night  they 
rushed  on  and  on,  up  hill  and  down.  The  houses 
they  passed  now  were  wrapped  in  the  darkness  of 
slumber.  Dogs  ran  out  and  barked  frantically. 
Fields,  woods,  marshes,  passed  as  in  a  blur.  They 
had  turned  and  were  going  directly  away  from 
Rochester  and  the  sea.  Now  they  could  not  even 
occasionally  hear  the  boom  of  the  breakers  nor  feel 
the  salt  air  in  their  faces.  They  mounted  to  the  top 
of  a  steep  hill,  bare  and  rocky  in  the  starlight,  and 
far  behind  them  came  the  whistle  of  a  locomotive, 
echoing  and  reechoing  among  the  hills  around  them. 

"The  midnight  express,"  whispered  the  girl. 

"I'll  be  hanged  if  I  take  their  dust  any  more," 
thought  Algernon.  And  the  car  leaped  forward 
with  redoubled  speed. 

118 


THE   WOMAN    OF    IT 

The  girl's  fear  had  vanished,  and  the  desire  to 
pass  was  as  strong  in  her  now  as  in  Algernon.  As 
the  car  leaped  forward  and  she  realized  what  Alger- 
non was  up  to,  she  laughed  with  excitement.  The 
road  was  too  narrow  just  there  to  allow  the  two  cars 
to  pass.  On  each  side  was  a  deep  gully  and  a  tangle 
of  brambles  and  barb-wire  fences.  Closer  and  closer 
drew  the  two  cars.  The  dust  was  so  thick  now  that 
Molly,  who  had  no  goggles,  could  only  shut  her 
eyes  and  cling,  drawing  her  veil  around  her  face 
as  much  as  possible.  The  machine  in  the  lead  shot 
ahead  and  what  had  been  a  game  of  follow  the 
leader  now  became  a  race  in  grim  earnest  Occa- 
sionally above  the  noise  of  the  rushing  cars,  the 
voice  of  the  man  in  the  car  ahead  could  be  heard, 
urging  the  driver  to  greater  speed  and  cursing  him 
for  an  idiot  and  his  car  as  so  much  junk. 

They  had  made  an  enormous  circle  and  were 
nearing  North  Brockton  by  the  lower  road.  Just 
where  it  turned  into  the  village,  was  a  large  farm- 
house with  a  smooth  expanse  of  grass  from  its  door- 
step to  the  road.  Algernon  determined  to  pass  at 
that  point  the  car  ahead  or  something  would  happen. 
Swept  out  of  himself,  crazed  for  the  time  with  the 
speed  mania,  he  forgot  the  girl  beside  him,  forgot 

everything,  but  that  he  must  come  in  ahead  of  that 

i 
119 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

machine  in  front  that  dared  to  dispute  the  right  of 
way  with  him. 

Molly  never  knew  what  happened.  With  eyes 
tight-shut  from  sheer  physical  necessity,  clinging 
to  the  seat  for  dear  life,  she  felt  a  sudden  rush,  a 
swerve,  a  jolt  that  nearly  sent  her  out.  Then  Al- 
gernon laughed  and  they  dashed  into  the  village 
street,  the  other  car  tearing  along  behind. 

"God,"  said  the  stranger,  "one's  a  woman !  They 
only  wanted  to  pass  us." 

Algernon  glanced  back.  The  other  car  had 
stopped  at  the  hotel  and  by  the  light  on  the  porch, 
he  saw  that  neither  of  the  men  was  Hancock.  They 
were  both  strangers,  the  chauffeur,  a  short  thick-set 
fellow,  the  passenger  tall  and  lean  with  something 
vaguely  familiar  in  his  dust-covered  sallow  face. 
They  were  looking  after  the  car  that  had  beaten 
them  and  talking  in  low  voices,  the  passenger  hold- 
ing his  watch  in  his  hand  and  seemingly  urging  the 
other  to  do  something  which  the  other  was  refusing 
to  do  with  repeated  shakes  of  the  head. 

The  girl  beside  him  laughed  and  Algernon  turned 
to  her  full  of  apology  which  she  waved  aside. 

"I  liked  it,  Joe,  honestly,"  she  protested.  "Please 
don't  apologize.  I  thought  it  was  Hancock's  car 
and  I  didn't  want  him  to  beat — me." 

120 


THE    WOMAN    OF    IT 

"They  were  strangers,"  said  Algernon  as  he  and 
Molly  left  the  village  behind  and  began  to  climb  the 
long  hill  toward  home.  "I  wonder  who  they  were. 
They  thought  we  were  chasing  them,  that  is,  the  tall 
fellow  did.  It  was  a  hired  machine,  I  think." 

"They  were  headed  straight  for  Canada  and  we 
turned  them  back,"  laughed  the  girl.  "I  suppose 
they  will  try  it  again  to-night." 

But  Algernon  shook  his  head.  "I  don't  think 
so.  The  tall  fellow  wanted  to,  but  the  driver  kept 
saying  something  about  the  machine.  I  guess  the 
gasoline  had  given  out  or  something." 

They  puzzled  over  the  affair  during  the  five  miles 
home  and  parted  at  the  terrace  steps,  on  perfect 
equality,  forgetful  that  one  was  the  mistress  and 
the  other  her  chauffeur. 

The  next  morning  they  met  at  the  edge  of  the 
woods  where  the  trees  touched  the  sands  of  the 
little  beach,  he  wrapped  in  the  horse  blanket  and 
his  usual  jovial  inanity,  she  in  her  old  cloak  and 
that  reserve  she  assumed  when  reason  was  for  the 
time  dominant  over  friendship  and  she  was  con- 
scious of  their  relationship.  Algernon  felt  a  trifle 
afraid  of  her  and  a  bit  hurt,  the  feeling  of  inferior- 
ity rankling  before  the  girl  and  her  dainty  charm. 
He  had  never  been  afraid  of  a  girl  before  nor  been 

121 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

looked  upon  as  socially  inferior  and  the  feeling 
made  him  bashful  and  austerely  haughty. 

"Good  morning,"  said  she  coldly,  as  though  there 
had  not  been  the  two  previous  mornings  and  the 
night  before  of N  friendliness  to  make  a  little  lesi 
formality  not  only  proper,  but  to  be  expected. 

"Good  morning,"  said  Algernon.  "It's  a  nice 
morning,"  he  added  out  of  sheer  embarrassment. 

The  girl  looked  at  the  fog  that  entirely  concealed 
the  sloop  and  the  distant  point  of  rocks  and  ad- 
mitted that  it  was. 

"Going  in?"  asked  Algernon,  picking  up  a  hand- 
ful of  sand  and  letting  it  drift  through  his  ringers. 
As  Molly  was  at  that  moment  removing  her  slippers 
and  had  already  laid  aside  her  cloak,  the  answer 
was  obvious. 

"Yes,"  said  she  gravely. 

Algernon's  mind  being  a  blank  by  that  time,  he 
plunged  into  the  water  and  swam  out  to  the  sloop 
sure  that  she  would  follow. 

They  sat  on  the  deck  and  chatted  a  while,  but 
though  the  girl's  reserve  melted,  she  was  gravely 
thoughtful  and  kept  looking  at  him  as  if  pondering 
some  serious  idea  with  regard  to  him.  It  was  clear 
that  there  was  something  on  her  mind. 

122 


When  you  want  to  confess,  how  do  you  begin? 


THE    WOMAN    OF    IT 

"When  you  want  to  confess,  how  do  you  begin?" 
she  asked  suddenly.  She  was  leaning  forward,  a 
hand  holding  the  deck  on  each  side  of  her,  her  slim 
legs  hanging  over  the  edge,  one  crossed  upon  the 
other,  and  she  sought  to  hide  her  wistful  earnest- 
ness by  a  little  laugh. 

"I  never  confess,"  said  Algernon  lightly.  "It  is 
always  so  embarrassing  to  the  other  person." 

"Why  ?"  she  asked,  her  eyes  on  the  bobbing  bell- 
buoy. 

"Oh,  it  makes  him  feel  so  superior  and  good  and 
forgiving  and  condescending,  don't  you  know,  and 
that  feeling  being  strange  to  the  great  mass  of  us, 
it  embarrasses  us." 

"I  should  think  you  would  want  to  feel  that  way 
once  in  a  while  for  the  change,"  said  she. 

"I  know,"  said  Algernon,  "but  it  is  embarrassing. 
You  keep  wondering  if  maybe  you  haven't  some- 
thing yourself  that  you  ought  to  confess." 

"But  suppose  you  feel  that  you  want  to  confess, 
that  you  must  confess,"  persisted  the  girl. 

"I  advise  you  to  fight  that  feeling  as  you  would 
the  desire  for  strong  drink,"  said  Algernon  firmly. 
"Never  let  it  conquer  you." 

"But  I  want  to  confess,"  repeated  the  girl,  barely 
123 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

glancing  at  him  and  then  away  again.  "The  feel- 
ing has  already  conquered  me.  Would  it  embarrass 
you  terribly  if  I  did?" 

"Yes,"  said  Algernon.  "Please  don't.  There  are 
only  two  things  women  ever  consider  as  confessions, 
one  is  their  correct  age  and  the  other  is  the  size  of 
their  shoes." 

Molly  laughed.  "Oh,  please,"  she  begged.  "Don't 
be  silly.  I — want — I  must  tell  you — I  am  not  Mrs. 
Todd."  She  stopped  as  suddenly  as  she  had  begun 
and  looked  at  him,  her  cheeks  crimson. 

It  was  Algernon's  turn  to  look  away.  He  gazed 
down  at  the  gray-green  water  washing  against  the 
sloop  and  wondered  what  to  do,  what  to  say.  Did 
she  already  suspect  that  he  was  Todd  himself?  No, 
she  was  too  brave  a  little  woman  to  face  the  situa- 
tion thus.  She  would  ask  him  frankly  if  he  were 
not,  giving  no  excuse  for  her  conduct,  no  supplica- 
tion for  mercy,  for  leniency.  But  why  had  she  told 
him?  He  was  taken  completely  by  surprise  and  for 
the  time  could  think  of  nothing  to  say. 

The  girl  saw  that  he  was  surprised  and  em- 
barrassed and  made  no  attempt  to  help  him  out, 
simply  gazed  at  him  seriously,  anxiously,  and  slow- 
ly uncrossed  her  legs  and  swung  them  back  and 

124 


THE    WOMAN    OF    IT 

forth  along  the  side  of  the  sloop.  At  last  Algernon 
turned  to  her. 

"Why  did  you  tell  me?"  he  asked  soberly. 

"I  wanted  you  to  know,"  said  she  simply.  "I  am 
Molly  O'Toole,  the  Todds'  summer  housekeeper." 

Algernon  felt  that  it  was  only  fair  to  meet  frank- 
ness with  frankness,  that  he  owed  it  to  the  girl  to 
do  so,  but  stronger  still  was  the  temptation  to  re- 
main silent  and  not  spoil  the  rest  of  the  summer  by 
premature  disclosures.  He  was  sure  if  Molly  knew 
that  he  was  Algernon  Van  Rensellear  Todd  she 
would  refuse  to  stay  longer  in  Mrs.  Todd's  employ, 
and  he  hated  to  contemplate  the  blank  life  would  be 
without  Molly  O'Toole. 

"Am  I  the  only  one  who  knows?"  he  asked. 

"The  only  one,"  said  she. 

"You  can  trust  me?"  said  he  earnestly,  in  as  much 
of  a  question  as  a  statement. 

"I  wanted  you  to  know,"  replied  the  girl  again. 

She  rose,  stood  a  moment  lightly  poised  on  the 
edge  of  the  deck  and  then  dived  straight  and  slim 
out  of  sight  into  the  rolling  fog-wrapped  waters  of 
the  tiny  cove.  Algernon  waited  until  she  reap- 
peared, fearful  as  he  was  each  time  she  dove,  that 
she  would  never  come  up  again  and  he  would  have 

125 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

to  go  after  her,  and  then  he  joined  her  and  they 
swam  to  the  beach,  side  by  side,  in  silence. 

At  the  parting  of  the  ways,  Algernon  caught  her 
hand  in  one  of  his. 

"Why  did  you  tell  me?"  he  asked,  half  frowning, 
half  smiling,  wholly  tender  and  amused  as  he  stood 
looking  down  at  her.  "You  make  me  feel  mean,  as 
if  I,  too,  ought  to  confess  and  I — can't." 

She  looked  at  him  out  of  wide  eyes.  "Have  you 
anything  to  confess?"  she  asked.  "I  did  not  think 
so.  You  seem  so  young." 

"I  am  young,"  said  Algernon  flippantly,  "but 
I'm  awfully  tough." 

"Is  it  nasty?"  She  threw  back  her  head  and 
looked  straight  at  him,  drawing  back  as  far  as  she 
could  while  he  still  held  her  hand. 

"No,"  he  answered  earnestly.  "It  is  simply^* 
foolish." 

"About  a — woman  ?" 

"No,  no,"  he  laughed  gaily,  and  she  smiled  with 
dimpling  mouth  and  suddenly  mischievous  eyes. 

"Don't  confess,"  she  advised.  "I  do  not  want  to 
hear."  She  pulled  her  hand  free  but  he  caught  it 
again. 

"Molly,"  he  cried,  "will  you  take  me  at  my  face 
value?" 

126 


THE    WOMAN    OF    IT 

"With  men  one  has  to,"  said  she  with  a  wise  little 
nod  of  the  head  and  the  bitterness  he  had  seen  once 
before  creeping  into  her  eyes  and  around  her  delicate 
mouth.  "If  they  once  began  to  confess,  they  would 
have  no  value." 

"I  know,"  agreed  Algernon.  "They  are  all 
wretches,  but  tell  me  that  I  am  an  exception.  I  am." 

"Haven't  I  engaged  you  as  chauffeur?"  she 
laughed.  "And  did  you  have  any  recommendations  ? 
I  think  not,  for  I  didn't  see  any.  Would  I  engage 
any  other  man  without  recommendations?" 

"Not  as  a  chauffeur,"  said  Algernon,  "but  maybe 
as  a  husband." 

"In  a  husband  a  bank-account  is  recommendation 
enough  for  me,"  said  she  brazenly,  as  she  broke  free 
and  nodded  a  laughing  good-by,  hurrying  away 
down  the  woodland  patch,  through  the  dripping 
trees  and  bushes. 

Algernon  watched  her  until  she  disappeared 
around  the  rhododendron  thicket,  then  he  turned  to 
take  the  path  to  the  garage,  shivered  and  realized 
that  he  had  forgotten  the  blanket  he  usually  draped 
about  him  for  his  stroll  through  the  woods  to  and 
from  the  beach.  For  a  moment  he  hesitated  whether 
to  go  for  it  or  not,  finally  decided  to  and  returned 
to  the  beach. 

127 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

A  man  stood  at  the  water's  edge,  gazing  thought- 
fully out  to  sea.  He  was  tall  and  thin,  dressed  in 
light  gray,  with  a  soft  expensive  Panama  on  the  back 
of  his  head,  while  a  rim  of  pale  blue  silk  stocking 
was  just  visible  above  his  low  shoes  and  of  a  color 
to  match  the  band  of  his  hat  His  hands  were 
thrust  in  his  pockets,  and  a  cloud  of  smoke  from  the 
cigarette  in  his  mouth  drifted  about  his  head  on  the 
still  air. 

Algernon  paused  surprised.  He  and  Molly  had 
been  so  engrossed  that  neither  of  them  had  heard  the 
stranger  approaching  through  the  woods.  He  must 
have  seen  them,  however,  as  they  took  the  path  for 
home  and  stood  chatting  by  the  thicket.  The  stran- 
ger, as  though  aware  that  he  was  no  longer  alone, 
turned  like  a  flash,  white  and  startled,  and  Algernon 
beheld  the  long  lean  visage,  the  twinkling  eyes  and 
humorous  twisted  mouth  of  Mr.  Joseph  Holmes,  the 
stranger  of  the  night  before.  A  slight  tinge  crept 
into  his  sallow  cheeks  and  he  laughed  gaily  as  he 
recognized  Algernon  and  came  forward  with  his 
hand  out. 

"Ah,  Todd,"  said  he.  "Howdy-do." 

"Hullo,"  said  Algernon.  "You  seemed  in  a  bit 
of  a  hurry  to  reach  Canada,  last  night.  What  has 
detained  you?" 

128 


THE   WOMAN    OF    IT 

Holmes  laughed.  "Some  ride,"  he  suggested 
good-naturedly.  "My  car  got  out  of  repair  and  I 
have  to  wait  until  the  driver  can  fix  it.  Deucedly 
inconvenient.  I  didn't  know  that  was  you  last  night 
whom  we  had  that  fun  with.  I  would  have  enjoyed 
it  more  if  I  had  known  it,  believe  me." 

"You  seemed  to  be  in  a  hurry  last  night  to  get 
away,"  said  Algernon.  "What's  the  matter  with 
your  car?  Maybe  I  can  fix  it." 

"The  Todds'  chauffeur,  eh?"  laughed  Holmes  and 
slapped  him  on  the  shoulder. 

Algernon  flushed  and  felt  a  sinking  feeling  at 
the  pit  of  his  stomach.  How  could  he  keep  his 
identity  hidden  now  that  Mr.  Holmes  had  arrived 
in  town?  In  the  country  gossip  is  always  on  the 
keen  jump,  and  Holmes  must  know  already  that  Mrs. 
Tod,d  had  a  new  chauffeur  and  that  the  chauffeur's 
name  was  Holmes,  Joseph  Holmes.  Algernon  could 
picture  the  surprise  of  the  hotel-keeper  as  his  one 
guest  signed  the  register  by  the  same  name  as  that  of 
the  Todds'  new  chauffeur.  It  had  been  stupid  in  him 
to  choose  the  name  of  any  one  he  knew,  though  he 
had  done  it  on  the  spur  of  the  moment  and  it  had 
never  entered  his  head  that  Mr.  Holmes  himself 
would  ever  come  up  among  the  lonely  hills  and 
dreary  slowness  of  North  Brockton.  Holmes  was  in 

129 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

truth  only  passing  through  on  his  way  to  Canada. 
He  would  soon  be  gone,  fortunately,  but  meanwhile, 
Algernon  wondered  if  he  could  buy  his  silence.  He 
had  no  ready  money,  but  a  check  would  do.  Molly 
probably  had  one  of  his  mother's  check-books  and 
he  could  get  hold  of  it  somehow  without  her  know- 
ing. Holmes  seemed  particularly  well  dressed,  in  a 
combination  Algernon  recognized  as  his  own  favor- 
ite colors  and  remembered  that  he  had  worn  the 
same  when  he  had  made  Holmes'  acquaintance  that 
day  in  June  beneath  the  wayside  trees.  He  was 
going  in  a  day  or  two  at  the  longest,  and  Algernon 
might  be  able  to  hasten  him  on  his  way  by  mending 
the  car  himself.  Holmes  was  watching  him  with 
twinkling  eyes  and  frank  amusement.  Suddenly  he 
laughed  and  Algernon  dodged  another  slap  on  the 
back. 

"My  dear  boy,  trust  me.  I  won't  give  you  away, 
not  for  the  world,"  said  Holmes,  and  he  winked 
slowly. 

"I  suppose  you  heard  when  you  signed  the  reg- 
ister at  the  hotel?"  questioned  Algernon  with  as- 
sumed lightness  and  indifference. 

"I  didn't  sign  the  register,"  laughed  Holmes, 
"not  by  the  name  of  Joseph  Holmes,  at  least,  be- 
lieve me.  I  had  heard  about  the  Todds'  chauffeur 

130 


THE    WOMAN    OF    IT 

as  I  ate  breakfast  and  I  had  no  desire  to  spoil  your 
sport,  believe  me." 

"That's  mighty  good  in  you,"  returned  Algernon. 
"How  did  you  know  it  was  I  ?" 

"Guessed  it,"  declared  Holmes,  drawing  out  his 
cigarette  case  and  offering  Algernon  one.  "Have 
a  smoke.  Here's  a  match.  I  heard  about  the  Todds' 
place  in  detail  from  the  waitress,  and  about  their 
chauffeur.  So  when  I  heard  of  the  youth  in  the  long 
duster  and  no  hand  luggage,  I  judged  it  to  be  you, 
running  home  to  mama,  stony  broke  from  the 
pedling  business." 

"Not  to  mama,"  said  Algernon. 

Holmes  laughed.    "No,  I  knew  that.   To  whom?" 

"A  cousin  of  my  father's,"  lied  Algernon  prompt- 
ly. "She  came  up  here  to  get  the  place  opened  and 
in  order  for  mama  in  the  fall.  We  had  never  met 
before  and  when  I  presented  myself — " 

"In  the  balky  horse-runaway,"  interrupted 
Holmes  genially.  "Quite  so.  I  see,  believe  me.  It 
was  certainly  amusing  and  I  don't  blame  you  for — 
for  being  Joseph  Holmes  and  the  Todds'  chauffeur, 
not  by  a  jugful,  believe  me." 

"It's  mighty  good  in  you  not  to  have  spoilt  things 
by  signing  your  name,"  protested  Algernon  grate- 
fully. "But  I  can't  put  you  to  that  trouble." 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

Holmes  held  up  his  hand.  "My  dear  boy,  say  no 
more.  I  am  leaving  town  in  a  day  or  two,  as  you 
know,  and  it  is  amusing,  really,  believe  me,  besides 
a  great  pleasure  to  be  of  assistance  to  you." 

"Maybe  I  can  be  of  assistance  to  you,"  said  Al- 
gernon. "I  may  be  able  to  fix  your  car  for  you.  I 
am  good  at  that  sort  of  thing.  What  is  the  matter 
with  it?  If  it  only  needs  a  new  part — I  may  have 
it—" 

Holmes  frowned.  "It's  quite  annoying,"  said  he, 
tossing  away  his  cigarette.  "Something  broke  last 
night  as  we  slowed  down.  The  man  says  he  has  to 
send  to  Boston  for  a  new  part.  It  won't  be  more  than 
a  day  before  we  get  it,  but  I  was  in  a  hurry  to  meet 
my  wife  in  Montreal  and  the  delay  is  annoying,  be- 
lieve me." 

"Why  don't  you  take  the  train,"  suggested  Al- 
gernon eagerly  helpful,  "and  let  your  man  bring 
the  car  on?" 

"I  did  think  of  that,  but  when  I  inquired  about 
trains,  I  found  that  I  could  make  just  as  good  time 
if  I  waited  two  days  and  then  went  up  in  my  car. 
The  train  service  isn't  very  good  and  there  are  so 
many  changes  and  stops  to  be  made  to  get  from  a 
little  place  like  this,  that  the  car  is  really  the  fast- 
er," sighed  Holmes. 

132 


THE    WOMAN    OF    IT 

"I  shall  be  around  to  see  if  I  can't  do  something," 
declared  Algernon.  "What  name  did  you  sign  to 
the  register?" 

Holmes  laughed,  waving  aside  his  own  troubles 
airily.  "My  wife's,"  said  he,  "Mr.  Patterson." 

"I'm  mighty  grateful,"  declared  Algernon,  hold- 
ing out  his  hand.  "You  must  let  me  show  how  much 
some  time.  Look  me  up  if  you  come  down  to  New 
York  in  the  fall." 

Algernon  had  been  brought  up  to  feel  that  he 
was  conferring  untold  honor  in  giving  a  man 
an  invitation  to  look  him  up,  when  the  person 
was  not  only  a  stranger,  but  poor  in  Algernon's  es- 
timation, and  not  of  his  set.  Mr.  Holmes  seemed 
to  appreciate  the  honor  at  the  same  worth  as  Alger- 
non and  grasped  the  latter's  hand  and  wrung  it 
warmly. 

"Say  no  more,"  said  he  genially.  "I  shall  enjoy 
the  little  masquerade  more  than  I  can  say,  believe 
me.  It  will  help  to  pass  the  time  of  waiting,  be- 
lieve me." 

Algernon  gathered  his  blanket  around  him  and 
Holmes  accompanied  him  down  the  woodland  path 
to  the  thicket.  There  they  shook  hands  again,  Al- 
gernon promised  to  come  around  that  afternoon  and 
see  if  he  could  duplicate  the  part  of  the  machine 

133 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

that  was  broken,  and  Holmes  begged  him  not  to  put 
himself  out  at  all,  that  he  enjoyed  the  little  comedy 
immensely,  believe  me. 

So  they  parted  for  the  time,  and  Algernon  hur- 
ried to  the  garage,  feeling  reassured  and  yet  un- 
comfortable. It  seemed  such  a  colossal  thing  to 
ask  of  another,  that  he  go  under  an  assumed  name 
for  a  time.  It  was  annoying  and  he  wished  vainly 
that  Holmes  had  been  allowed  to  reach  Canada 
last  night  without  any  unintentional  interference  on 
the  part  of  himself  and  Molly  O'Toole. 


CHAPTER  VII 

BILLS,  BILLS,  BILLS 

ALGERNON  sat  in  the  shade  of  the  vegetable 
garden  and  watched  the  big  red  touring  car 
of  the  owner  of  the  Pines  turn  in  through  the 
high  granite  gate  posts.  Hancock  was  at  the  wheel 
and  Molly  sat  beside  him.  She  was  in  gray  from 
the  large  veil-swathed  hat  to  the  little  shoes.  They 
had  been  out  since  early  morning  and  now  it  was 
late  in  the  afternoon.  Algernon  watched  them  until 
a  turn  in  the  driveway  hid  them,  then  he  shook  his 
head  dubiously,  thoughtfully,  and  knocked  the 
ashes  from  his  pipe. 

It  was  very  warm  in  the  shade  of  the  hedge,  shel- 
tered from  the  sea  breezes  by  the  pines  and  the  dip 
in  the  land.  Overhead  the  fog  was  heralding  its 
evening  approach  by  little  wisps  of  vapor,  floating 
past  like  ghosts  of  tiny  clouds.  Everything  was  very 
still  but  for  the  shrill  persistent  hum  of  the  crickets 
and  the  grasshoppers  in  the  meadows  back  of  the 
stable.  Occasionally  Algernon  could  hear  the  high 
discordant  whistle  of  the  under  groom  and  once  in 

135 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

a  while  the  scathing  remarks  of  the  head  groom 
anent  the  musical  ability  of  his  subordinate.  Alger- 
non cleaned  his  pipe,  put  it  in  his  pocket  and 
stretched  himself  luxuriously  in  the  soft  sweet  grass. 
He  pulled  his  hat  over  his  eyes  and  prepared  to 
finish  the  afternoon  with  a  nap,  but  could  not  get 
the  thought  of  Molly  and  young  Hancock  out  of  his 
head  long  enough  to  allow  him  to  sleep.  And  the 
thought  of  Holmes'  presence  in  the  neighborhood 
was  vaguely  irritating.  He  had  been  down  to  the 
hotel  that  afternoon  and  overlooked  the  strange  car 
in  company  with  Holmes'  chauffeur.  The  car  was 
a  steamer  and  the  pipes  coming  from  the  engine  had 
become  full  of  dirt,  causing  the  engine,  having  no 
water  in  it,  to  blow  out,  though  the  register  indi- 
cated that  it  was  full  because  of  the  dirty  pipes  and 
the  ignorance  of  the  chauffeur  who  had  failed  to 
keep  the  pipes  clean.  Algernon  saw  he  could  do  no 
good.  A  new  boiler  would  have  to  be  sent  for  and 
until  it  came,  Holmes  would  simply  have  to  wait  in 
patience  or  take  the  railroad  cars,  which  he  seemed, 
to  Algernon's  annoyance,  in  no  hurry  to  do. 

Algernon  felt — and  he  knew  that  his  mother 
would  feel  the  same — that  he  was  not  exactly  com- 
petent to  oversee  the  morals  of  the  young.  Neverthe- 
less he  longed  to  caution  Molly  that  unless  she  was 

136 


BILLS,    BILLS,    BILLS 

more  careful,  she  would  give  the  whole  thing  away 
through  the  publicity  of  the  press  and  he  would  be 
left  alone  in  the  big  house  as  Mr.  Todd,  with  no 
amusing  little  masquerade  to  pass  the  time  away.  It 
was  not  entirely  clear  to  him  yet  what  her  object 
had  been  in  assuming  the  name  and  position  of 
his  mother.  It  could  not  have  been  with  the  inten- 
tion of  marrying  young  Hancock,  at  least,  not  at 
first,  for  none  of  them  knew  anything  about  the 
Pines  or  Hancock  before  she  had  come,  and  she 
must  have  taken  the  name  of  Todd  on  her  arrival 
as  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  have  assumed  it 
later,  on  Hancock's  account.  Then,  what  did  she 
do  it  for?  Molly  O'Toole  was  clever  and  she  would 
know,  none  better,  that  a  slight  irregularity,  to 
speak  mildly  about  it,  such  as  she  was  practising 
would  be  impossible  to  explain  clearly  to  any  one 
and  most  of  all  to  his  mother,  in  whose  employ  she 
was.  Why  was  she  risking  a  good  position,  with 
the  excellent  recommendations  it  would  give,  for 
the  doubtful  pleasure  of  fooling  a  few  farmers? 

Algernon  dozed  off  after  a  time,  and  was  finally 
awakened  by  the  honk,  honk  of  Hancock's  machine 
as  it  turned  out  of  the  gates  and  took  the  road  to 
Brockton  in  the  gathering  dusk.  He  sat  up  and 
watched  it  disappear  in  a  cloud  of  dust,  then  he 

137 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

arose,  stretched  and  decided  to  go  up  to  the  house 
and  give  Molly  a  gentle  warning  that  she  must  be 
good,  for  he  did  not  care  to  have  his  fun  spoiled  thus 
early.  She  had  taken  him  into  her  confidence  that 
morning,  so  could  not  look  upon  him  as  bold  as  she 
otherwise  might  consider  him  under  the  circum- 
stances. 

The  front  door  of  the  great  house  was  open  to 
the  sweetness  of  the  summer  evening  and  Algernon 
looked  in.  The  hall  was  empty  but  for  a  hound 
that  raised  his  head  quickly  as  Algernon  entered, 
and  seeing  who  it  was,  lay  back  again,  thumping  his 
tail  lazily,  and  scaring  the  pup,  who  had  followed 
his  master  timidly  up  the  terrace  steps,  down  again 
to  the  seclusion  of  the  garage  and  the  safety  to  be 
found  under  the  great  red  touring  car  nearest  the 
door.  Algernon  heard  some  one  in  the  library, 
walking  up  and  down  restlessly.  He  went  to  the 
door  and  then  hesitated. 

What  could  he  say?  He  couldn't  very  well  go 
in  and  tell  Molly  that  she  was  not  behaving  as  even 
the  temporary  bearer  of  the  name  of  Todd  should 
behave.  She  would  get  angry  and  everything 
would  come  to  light  as  irrevocably  as  if  he  held 
his  tongue  and  let  gossip  do  its  worst;  it  would,  in- 
deed, end  all  promptly,  whereas  gossip  would  give 

138 


BILLS,    BILLS,    BILLS 

him  at  least  a  week  or  two  more  of  fun.  There  would 
be  a  scene,  and  Algernon  hated  scenes.  They  made 
him  nervous  and  uncomfortable.  They  were  usual- 
ly so  strenuous.  He  was  about  to  tiptoe  away  and 
make  up  a  plan  of  action  in  the  seclusion  of  the 
garage  when  he  heard  the  steps  of  one  of  the  maids 
coming  along  the  hall  above  on  her  way  to  the 
stairs.  He  did  not  care  to  be  caught  there  and  the 
nearest  place  of  concealment  was  in  the  library 
itself.  He  knocked  hastily,  and  without  waiting  for 
an  answer,  he  jerked  aside  the  curtains,  opened  the 
doors  that  he  found  shut  and  entered. 

Molly  O'Toole  had  been  pacing  up  and  down  the 
room,  and  as  Algernon  entered  she  stood  near  the 
door,  facing  him,  startled  and  surprised. 

"What  do  you  want?"  she  asked  sharply.  She 
was  worried  and  anxious,  and  the  strain  of  keeping 
up  before  Hancock  having  relaxed,  she  gave  way 
for  the  moment  to  her  frayed  nerves. 

"Hello,"  said  Algernon  lamely,  not  able  to  think 
of  anything  else  on  the  spur  of  the  moment.  "I 
was  just  thinking — er — that  you  would  be  afraid  of 
losing  your  position." 

Molly  was  leaning  against  the  table,  but  even  in 
the  dusk  of  the  room,  Algernon  could  see  her  face 
change  color  and  her  small  hands  tighten  on  the 

139 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

edge  of  the  table  as  she  struggled  to  keep  her  com- 
posure. 

"My  position?"  she  questioned.  "What  do  you 
mean  ?" 

She  came  forward,  cool  and  sweet  with  sudden 
composure,  in  a  white  frock,  a  string  of  turquoises 
around  her  slender  throat,  and  on  her  small  feet, 
peeping  from  under  the  hem  of  her  gown,  slippers 
of  a  blue  to  match,  frankly  regardless  of  the  widow's 
weeds  she  had  made  no  attempt  to  wear.  She  was  so 
pretty  and  dainty  with  her  tip-tilted  nose  and  saucy 
mouth,  that  Algernon  wanted  to  put  his  arm  around 
her  waist  and  kiss  again  the  crimson  lips.  Her 
superb  composure  after  the  first  start  of  surprise 
and  the  frank  audacity  of  her  plan  and  manner  won 
Algernon's  deepest  admiration. 

"I  just  wanted  to  say,"  he  broke  forth  boyishly, 
"that  you  had  better  look  out  or  you  will  give  the 
whole  thing  away." 

Molly's  cheeks  turned  as  white  as  her  dress  and 
her  composure  toppled  like  a  house  of  cards.  She 
leaned  toward  him,  one  hand  clenched  on  her  breast. 
"Who  is  he?"  she  demanded  hoarsely,  scarcely 
above  a  whisper;  "that  man  in  the  village?" 

"Patterson,"  stammered  Algernon,  miserably  un- 
happy over  her  distress.  His  one  desire  was  to 

140 


BILLS,    BILLS,    BILLS 

help  her,  not  to  add  to  her  trouble  and  fright.  He 
could  no  more  have  worried  her  than  he  could 
have  cut  that  soft  white  throat  which  fluttered  in 
her  fear  like  the  breast  of  a  captured  bird.  "Pat- 
terson," he  repeated.  "A  stranger  on  his  way  to 
Canada." 

"Does  he  know  the  Todds?"  she  asked  quickly. 

"No,"  said  Algernon. 

"How  do  you  know?"  she  demanded,  still  un- 
convinced. 

"We  were  talking  about  them,"  lied  Algernon, 
"when  I  was  overhauling  his  machine  this  afternoon. 
He  never  saw  them  in  his  life,  was  never  in  New 
York." 

The  girl  drew  a  long  breath  and  leaned  back 
against  the  table  again,  one  hand  raised  to  her  hot 
cheek,  into  which  the  blood  was  rushing  in  a  crim- 
son tide,  the  other  still  clenched  on  her  breast,  her 
graceful  head  slightly  turned  as  she  bit  her  lips  and 
struggled  for  composure. 

"You  see,"  said  Algernon  gently,  as  one  would 
speak  to  a  startled  child,  "he  does  not  know  any- 
thing." 

The  girl  nodded  and  motioned  to  a  chair  for  him 
to  be  seated.  "Sit  down,"  said  she  simply.  "We 
will  talk  things  over.  What  did  you  mean  by  say- 

141 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

ing  I  would  lose  my  position,"  she  laughed  lightly, 
"and  why  did  you  come?  I  have  lost  my  position 
now,  don't  you  see?" 

Algernon  threw  his  hat  on  a  chair  and  drew  an- 
other up  to  the  table,  relieved  and  happy  again  now 
that  the  girl  was  herself  once  more  and  realizing 
as  never  before  how  pretty  Molly  was  and  how 
lonely  he  would  be  without  her  now  that  they  were 
getting  acquainted  as  fellow-conspirators. 

"I  came,"  he  explained  amiably,  "to  let  you  see 
that  you  really  can't  afford  to  set  people  talking 
about  you,  even  in  this  backwoods  town.  It  could 
get  into  the  papers  and  put  an  end  to  everything, 
my  position  and  yours.  Can't  you  see  that?" 

The  girl  nodded,  and  Algernon  went  on.  "These 
people  up  here  don't  look  on  things  as  we  do  in 
the  city.  If  a  man  calls  on  a  girl  here  he  has  as 
good  as  proposed." 

Again  the  girl  nodded.  Algernon  glanced  curi- 
ously around  the  room  to  give  her  time  to  regain 
her  composure  more  fully.  The  library  was  a 
large  room  like  all  the  others  in  the  house.  There 
were  book  shelves  reaching  from  the  floor  to  the 
ceiling,  heavy  tables  and  massive  leather-cushioned 
chairs,  a  writing  desk  with  its  accessories  of  Rus- 
sian leather  and  cut-glass,  a  huge  fireplace,  with 

142 


BILLS,    BILLS,    BILLS 

quaint  old-fashioned  hood  and  high-backed  carved 
settees,  a  weakness  of  the  late  Mr.  Todd.  The  dark 
oak  floor  was  highly  polished  and  the  fading  light 
touched  and  softened  the  rare  collection  of  Oriental 
rugs,  another  hobby  that  the  late  Mr.  Todd  rode 
fast  and  furiously  because  it  was  the  fashion  to. 
Through  the  long  French  windows  Algernon  could 
see  the  magnificent  stretch  of  velvet  lawn  and  be- 
yond the  tumbling  fog-gray  sea. 

All  was  quiet  well-kept  comfort  such  as  money 
can  give,  and  all  was  his.  He  looked  at  the  girl 
facing  him  across  the  table's  broad  expanse,  and 
told  himself  that  she  was  nothing  but  a  swindler, 
decked  in  the  finery  his  money  afforded.  His 
mother,  he  decided,  would  doubtless  be  blind 
to  the  rare  humor  in  the  situation,  but  his 
mother  was  at  that  moment  more  than  three  thou- 
sand miles  away  and,  as  yet,  blissfully  unaware 
of  what  was  being  done  in  her  name  in  the  great 
lonely  house  on  the  wind-swept  coast  of  Maine.  In- 
deed, Algernon  was  as  unconscious  as  his  mother 
of  the  real  essence  of  that  which  he  was  doing. 
Mature  deliberation  and  Algernon  were  as  far 
apart  as  the  poles.  He  acted  on  the  impulse  of 
the  moment  and  if  things  went  wrong  he  simply 
dropped  them  and  turned  to  something  else. 

143 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

Money  is  a  grea.t  aid  to  a  successful  practise  of  a 
philosophical  view  of  life. 

He  drew  up  a  chair  for  Molly  and  with  a  little 
bow  motioned  for  her  to  be  seated,  remembering 
the  cook's  expression  of  dark  suspicion  when  he 
had  done  the  same  for  her.  Then  he  sat  down  him- 
self, and  pushing  aside  the  papers  that  cluttered  the 
table,  made  room  for  his  arms. 

"Bills?"  he  asked  anxiously.  "You  ought  to  be 
careful." 

Molly  flashed  him  a  glance  of  scorn.  "Be  care- 
ful," she  sneered,  "and  you  will  be  in  the  poor 
farm." 

"Better  than  being  in  jail,"  returned  Algernon 
mildly. 

"To  a  coward,  yes,"  said  she. 

"To  a  person — with — er — honor,  I  should  think." 

"Fear  is  so  often  mistaken  for  honor,"  she  re- 
torted coolly,  flushing  and  not  meeting  his  eyes. 

Algernon  changed  the  subject.  "What  put  the 
idea  into  your  head  to  be  Mrs.  Todd?  Weren't  you 
afraid  that  there  would  be  something  in  the  papers 
about  the  real  Mrs.  Todd  to  give  you  away?" 

"Mrs.  Todd  never  allows  anything  to  be  printed 
about  her,"  returned  Molly. 

144 


BILLS,    BILLS,    BILLS 

"I  know,"  agreed  Algernon.  "But  I  have  some- 
times seen  little  things  about  Todd." 

"They  never  read  the  papers  up  here,"  said  the 
girl  carelessly,  "except  the  Brockton  Daily  Tele- 
graph. That  only  comes  out  once  a  week  and 
hasn't  anything  in  it  but  advertisements." 

Algernon  remembered  what  old  man  Brown  had 
remarked  the  day  of  his  arrival,  but  decided  to  say 
nothing  to  the  girl  about  it  and  alarm  her  unneces- 
sarily, for  there  was  not  likely  to  be  anything  in  the 
papers  about  young  Todd  for  some  time  at  least. 
"That's  true,"  he  admitted,  "but  why  did  you  do 
this,  take  the  name  of  Todd?" 

The  girl  looked  at  him  plaintively,  like  a  child 
caught  in  mischief  and  not  sure  of  the  outcome  or 
the  temper  of  her  judge.  "Only  as  a  joke,"  said 
she.  "The  station  master  and  the  man  who  drove 
me  over  from  Brockton  got  the  idea  into  their 
heads  that  I  was  Mrs.  Todd.  They  kept  calling 
me  so  and  I  let  them  for  the  fun  of  it — that  first 
night." 

Molly  put  her  slim  white  arms  on  the  table  and 
leaned  forward,  her  small  hands  clasped  in  front  of 
her.  Her  cool  audacity  had  returned  as  the  blood 
crept  back  into  her  cheeks  and  tingled  there  with 

145 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

excitement,  and  the  flash  of  mischief  and  daring 
came  again  into  her  Irish  eyes.  She  liked  the  boy 
across  the  table  and  felt  that  she  could  trust  him. 
She  wanted  to  tell  some  one,  to  have  some  one  to 
whom  she  could  turn  and  with  whom  she  could  con- 
sult if  things  got  serious.  He  was  only  a  boy,  young 
and  inexperienced,  she  was  a  woman,  beautiful  and 
fascinating,  and  she  could  hold  him  to  her  interests 
by  her  attractions  if  need  be.  "I  had  been  out  of  a 
job  for  two  or  three  months  before  Mrs.  Todd  en- 
gaged me.  You  must  realize  what  that  means,  to 
be  out  of  a  job  in  New  York!  I  was  mad  at  every- 
thing, fate  and  poverty  and  the  endless  hopeless 
struggle.  I  had  had  too  much  worry.  I  don't  know 
even  if  I  was  glad  to  have  a  place  at  last."  She 
threw  out  her  slim  hands,  palms  upward  and  looked 
appealingly  at  Algernon. 

Algernon  nodded  sympathetically.  He  had  often 
been  worried  himself.  His  favorite  mare  had  once 
been  critically  sick,  and  then  his  mother  worried 
him  about  working.  He  thought  he  understood 
perfectly. 

"I  left  the  next  day  for  this  place,"  went  on  the 
girl.  "And  as  I  said,  when  I  got  here  everybody 
made  the  mistake  of  taking  me  for  Mrs.  Todd.  The 
only  thing  that  puzzled  them  was  my  age  and  I 

146 


BILLS,    BILLS,    BILLS 

explained  that  to  the  stupid  things  just  for  the  joke 
of  it  by  saying  I  was  Algernon's  stepmother.  Then 
the  longer  I  kept  silent,  the  harder  it  was  to  explain 
and  the  more  fun  it  was  to  pretend  that  I  was  Mrs. 
Todd.  Nine  out  of  every  ten  people  in  this  world, 
Joe,  are  snobs,  and  that's  true  even  in  the  country 
where  people  seem  to  think  the  eagle  is  still  scream- 
ing from  every  bush  and  that  sturdy  American 
independence  is  as  thick  as  blackberries  in  berry 
time.  It's  all  rot.  The  almighty  dollar  is  as  al- 
mighty up  here  as  it  is  in  New  York.  I  liked  the 
deference  every  one  showed  me  when  they  thought 
I  owned  this  place  on  the  big  hill.  It  was  delight- 
fully amusing,  and  I  kept  still  for  the  fun  of  it.  I 
felt  that  I  could  explain  to  Mrs.  Todd  and  that  as 
long  as  the  house  was  put  in  order  and  things  done 
as  she  wanted,  she  wouldn't  mind  at  all." 

"Probably,"  admitted  Algernon  dubiously.  "But 
weren't  you  afraid  of  being  found  out  before  you 
could  explain?" 

"No.  You  see,  there  is  no  one  who  could  find  me 
out.  The  Todds  are  away,  and  I  was  given  prac- 
tically carte  blanche  in  ordering  everything  and  do- 
ing anything  that  was  needed.  I  shan't  have  to  give 
an  accounting  until  Mrs.  Todd  comes  in  October — • 
and  then  I  shan't  be  here." 

147 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"I  see.  But  these  bills,  those — er — dresses  and 
things  you  wear?  They  are  mighty  becoming  and 
all  that,  but  I  shouldn't  imagine  they  would  be  con- 
sidered exactly  necessary  to  the  house  or  grounds, 
you  know." 

"Might  as  well  be  hanged  for  a  sheep  as  a  lamb," 
laughed  Molly.  "My  simple  dresses  were  marvels 
of  beauty  to  the  country  people,  my  wardrobe  elab- 
orate, but  when  Mr.  Hancock  mistook  my  best  dress 
for  a  morning  one,  I  saw  that  if  I  wanted  my  few 
months  of  fun,  I  should  have  to  become — a  sheep. 
And  I  did.  It  was  easy  enough.  The  tradespeo- 
ple in  New  York  are  willing  to  charge  anything  to 
the  Todds,  and  I  knew  Mrs.  Todd  wouldn't  get  the 
bills  until  my  time  was  up  and  I  had  either  ex- 
plained to  her  and  offered  to  pay  for  them  or  dis- 
appeared. Easy?"  she  leaned  back  and  smiled  at 
Algernon  with  a  little  yawn.  "It  is  too  easy." 

"But  what  do  you  think  to  gain  by  it?"  persisted 
Algernon.  "It  seems  useless  to  me.  I  should  think 
you  would  rather  have  the  position  and  recom- 
mendations as  Mrs.  Todd's  housekeeper  than  just 
the  fun  of  fooling  Hancock  for  a  few  weeks.  I 
don't  think  Mrs.  Todd  will  like  your  buying  so 
many — er — things." 

"Gain  by  it?"  repeated  the  girl  slowly.  "At  first 
148 


BILLS,    BILLS,    BILLS 

I  was  going  to  have  only  two  or  three  months  of 
fun,  sort  of  a  childish  make-believe,  dressing  up  in 
another's  identity,  playing  the  great  lady  and  hav- 
ing the  servile  reverence  of  the  common  herd.  The 
fun  in  that  would  have  been  reward  enough." 

"At  first?    What  now?" 

"Now?  Maybe  everything,  maybe  nothing.  We 
shall  see." 

Algernon  laughed,  baffled.  "Those  turquoises," 
he  questioned;  "did  you  charge  them,  too?" 

"Everything,"  she  answered  with  a  nod  of  her 
black  head.  "I  am  in  this  too  far  to  back  out  now 
and  I  am  going  to  dress  the  part  even  if  it  breaks — 
the  Todds." 

Algernon  looked  into  her  bright  determined  eyes 
and  felt  his  soul,  which  had  never  been  determined 
about  anything  in  his  life  but  to  have  a  good  time, 
thrill  at  her  strength  of  will. 

"By  George !"  said  he.  "You  have  pluck.  Put  it 
there." 

It  was  well  that  three  thousand  miles  or  more 
were  between  Mrs.  Todd  and  her  son  at  the  pre- 
cise moment. 

Molly  laid  her  hand  in  his  frankly.  "You  will 
help?"  she  asked. 

"I'm  your  man,"  declared  Algernon  cheerfully. 
149 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"But  you  want  to  be  more  careful.  Really,  it  is 
foolish  to  give  the  village  a  chance  to  gossip.  There 
is  nothing  the  people  would  like  better  in  a  town 
like  this  than  a  good  racy  bit  of  gossip." 

The  girl  frowned  for  a  moment  and  stared  at  her 
hands  clasped  before  her  on  the  table.  Finally  she 
looked  up.  "I  will  be  careful,  that  is  more  care- 
ful," she  promised.  "But  my  time  is  growing  short. 
I  got  a  letter  the  other  day,  the  first  day  you  came, 
Joe,  from  Mrs.  Todd.  She  expects  to  be  here  the 
last  of  September,  hardly  a  month  away." 

"That's  bad,"  agreed  Algernon,  thinking  with  a 
dull  pain  that  he  would  have  Molly  for  only  four 
short  weeks.  "I  think  I  shall — "  Then  he  stopped. 
He  had  been  about  to  say  that  he  would  write  to 
his  mother  that  it  would  be  wiser  for  her  to  remain 
where  she  was  until  the  raw  days  of  early  October 
had  settled  into  the  golden  warmth  of  Indian  sum- 
mer, but  decided  that  it  would  hardly  do  to  explain 
his  intentions.  Molly  was  watching  him  in  amuse- 
ment, wholly  unaware  of  what  he  was  going  to  say. 

"What  will  you  do?"  she  asked  with  a  laugh. 

"Have  a  good  time  while  I  can,"  sighed  Al- 
gernon. 

"A  lot  can  happen  in  a  month,"  admitted  Molly 
hopefully. 


BILLS,    BILLS,    BILLS 

"Yes,"  agreed  Algernon,  and  added  gloomily, 
"we  could  all  be  serving  time — in  a  month." 

"Yes,"  said  the  girl  scornfully,  "and  we  can  all 
be  buried." 

"Or  married,"  added  Algernon,  more  hopefully. 

"Of  the  three,"  laughed  Molly,  "which  would  be 
worst?" 

"Two,"  corrected  Algernon;  "the  first  and  last 
are  practically  the  same." 

"Not  exactly,"  objected  the  girl.  "The  first  is 
peaceful,  at  least.  The  last,  not  so." 

"I  know,"  said  Algernon,  "but  peace  is  some- 
times so  monotonous." 

"One  certainly  wouldn't  be  bothered  with  bills, 
serving  time,"  sighed  Molly,  turning  over  those  on 
the  table  before  her. 

"There  seem  to  be  so  many  of  them,"  said  Al- 
gernon, picking  up  a  few  and  running  his  eye 
over  them.  "They  aren't  dunning  you  already?" 

"No,"  said  the  girl,  as  she  gathered  the  bills  up 
and  returned  them  to  their  envelopes.  "I  wrote 
to  send  the  bills  up  here  instead  of  holding  them 
up  until  Mrs.  Todd's  return.  I  wanted  to  see  for 
just  how  much  we  are  getting  into.  These  are  only 
July's  bills.  They  won't  wonder  why  they  are  not 
paid  as  early  as  this." 

151  -*^ 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"I  should  think  the  dressmakers  might  won- 
der at  the  different  measurements,"  said  Algernon. 
"Mrs.  Todd  and  you  would  hardly  take  the  same 
size." 

"I  have  not  gone  to  the  same  dressmakers.  I 
have  bought  nearly  all  my  dresses  from  the  big 
department  stores.  Men  never  know  the  difference. 
I  don't  believe  Mr.  Hancock  knows  half  the  time 
what  I  have  on,  except  that  it  is  expensive." 

"You  never  met  Algernon,  did  you?"  asked  Al- 
gernon carelessly. 

"No,"  said  Molly,  "but  Mrs.  Todd  told  me  a  lot 
about  him  one  night  while  I  was  at  her  summer  place 
in  Connecticut.  She  thinks  she  is  a  stern  parent,  but 
honestly  there  is  no  one  in  all  the  world  to  her  quite 
so  wonderful  as  'Algy.'  He  wins  pennants  and 
things,  I  believe,  in  everything  he  undertakes.  She 
rattled  on  about  him  just  as  the  cook  below  stairs 
tells  me  about  her  son  who  is  studying  law  in  the 
city.  All  the  world  is  the  same,  Joe,  at  the  bottom, 
up-stairs  and  down." 

Algernon  dropped  his  eyes  quickly  to  hide  the 
sudden  shame  and  contrition  that  blurred  them. 
He  would  pay  all  the  bills  Molly  was  making  out  of 
his  allowance,  and  his  mother  need  never  know  a 
thing.  He  raised  his  hand  to  his  lips  to  hide  the 

152 


BILLS,    BILLS,    BILLS 

tender  little  smile  that  twitched  at  their  corners 
when  he  thought  of  his  mother's  sweet,  little  round 
fat  face,  fresh  and  unwrinkled,  soft  and  kissable. 

"So  you  see,"  went  on  Molly,  "I  had  all  the  bills 
sent  up  here.  I  didn't  want  any  mistake  made  and 
the  bills  falling  into  Mrs.  Todd's  hands  too  soon." 

"Suppose  Todd  turns  up?"  questioned  Algernon 
gaily. 

"Todd  in  North  Brockton !"  Molly  laughed  de- 
lightfully and  Algernon  flushed,  unperceived,  as  he 
stooped  to  pick  up  a  bill  from  the  floor.  "My  dear 
Joe,  Algernon  Van  Rensellear  Todd  is  not  a  young 
man  who  seeks  country  quiet  and  peaceful  seclusion 
unless  compelled  to  do  so  by  a  stern  parent.  No, 
Algernon  won't  arrive  until  a  few  days  after  his 
mother  at  the  earliest." 

"So  you  don't  think  the  simple  life  would  appeal 
to  Todd?"  questioned  Algernon  feebly. 

"If  you  knew  him  you  wouldn't  ask  that," 
laughed  the  girl. 

"You  didn't  know  him,  did  you?" 

"Once,  I  saw  him,  just  a  fleeting  glimpse,  and 
spoke  a  few  words  with  him,  but  a  week,  a  day, 
would  be  enough.  Algernon  is  of  a  kind  never  seen 
in  the  country,  if  he  can  get  the  first  train  away. 

"He  always  could  get  the  first  train,  too,"  she 
153 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

added,  after  a  moment  "He  has  so  much  money, 
and  money  is  luck." 

"He  may  like  the  country,"  said  Algernon  vague- 
ly, feeling  an  instinctive  desire  to  stand  up  for  him- 
self. 

"It's  nothing  against  him  that  he  doesn't,"  said 
Molly.  "Cows  like  the  country." 

"Yes,"  agreed  Algernon,  slightly  cheered, 
"that's  so.  I  don't  suppose  he  will  turn  up  here, 
but  he  may  return  to  the  city  or  some  large  place 
where  his  presence  will  be  known  and  get  into  the 
papers.  Then  how  can  you  explain  his  mother's 
being  up  here  when  he  will  probably  say  that  she 
is  still  abroad?" 

"I  know  there  is  a  risk,  there  is  bound  to  be  one," 
admitted  Molly.  "But  the  chance  is  very  small. 
I  have  run  it  for  the  last  month  or  so  and  nothing 
has  happened." 

Algernon  laughed.  "Let's  not  worry,"  said  he. 
"I  never  do.  I  found  that  it  didn't  pay." 

With  Molly's  consent  he  lighted  his  pipe  and 
leaned  back  in  the  deep  chair  to  enjoy  himself.  The 
whole  situation  tickled  his  errant  fancy  with  the  very 
irony  of  it.  The  few  bills  Molly  was  running  up 
would  not  amount  to  much  and  Algernon  did  not 
care  enough  for  money  to  object  to  the  spectacle  of 

154 


BILLS,    BILLS,    BILLS 

seeing  himself  swindled.  It  was  more  amusing  than 
otherwise  and  was  one  of  the  most  effective  cures  to 
his  ennui  he  had  ever  known.  He  had  gone  pedling 
because  he  was  bored,  and  he  had  left  James  Morti- 
mer Worth  for  the  same  reason.  He  felt  happily, 
however,  that  while  the  present  arrangement  lasted 
he  would  be  anything  but  bored.  Besides,  why  not 
let  the  girl,  young  and  pretty  and  charming,  have 
at  least  a  taste  of  the  wealth  that  so  cloyed  him  at 
times?  This  was  one  of  those  rare  occasions  that 
only  come  once  in  a  lifetime,  so  why  not  make  the 
most  of  it,  especially  as  his  mother  was  where  she 
need  never  know? 

"Joe,"  said  the  girl,  leaning  across  the  table  and 
speaking  with  sudden  resolution,  an  expression  of 
mingled  shame  and  hesitation  on  her  face,  "Joe, 
I  think  you  ought  to  go." 

For  Molly  O'Toole,  like  Algernon  Van  Rensellear 
Todd,  did  everything  on  impulse.  Where  a  moment 
before  she  had  planned  to  hold  him  to  her  by  every 
means  in  her  power,  she  was  now  urging  him  to  go. 
He  was  so  young  and  she  liked  him  so.  That  was 
enough.  The  rapidity  with  which  she  changed  was 
always  as  disconcerting  to  herself  as  to  others. 

"Go?"  Algernon  took  the  pipe  from  his  mouth 
and  his  face  fell.  "Go?  Go  where?  Why  go?" 

155 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"Why  should  you  risk  being  considered  as  an  ac- 
complice, if  I  am  tried  for — what  will  they  try  me 
for?" 

Algernon  laughed  gaily.  She  wanted  him  to  go 
for  his  own  good,  not  because  she  wanted  to  get  rid 
of  him  as  he  had  at  first  thought  she  meant.  "On 
any  old  charge,"  said  he  cheerfully.  "Swindlers, 
thieves — " 

"I  haven't  stolen  anything,"  objected  Molly,  her 
cheeks  crimson.  "I  am  going  to  leave  everything 
here  except  what  belonged  to  me  when  I  came — 
besides,  I  hope  to  be  able  to  make  it  all  right,  to 
pay  for  all  I  have  bought  since." 

"You  might  as  well  try  to  convince  a  fifty  year 
old  flirt,  fat  and  bald-headed,  that  he  wasn't  irre- 
sistible as  to  convince  the  law  of  that,"  declared 
Angernon  firmly.  "Besides,  they  could  have  us  ar- 
rested for  buying  goods  under  false  pretenses,  for 
misrepresentation — " 

"Why  do  you  say  'us'?"  asked  the  girl,  raising 
her  eyes  to  his  face.  "You  haven't  done  anything; 
you  are  decent." 

"I  have,"  laughed  Algernon.  "I  bought  a  bath- 
ing suit." 

"But  you  did  that  in  all  innocence,"  persisted  the 
girl.  "You  thought  I  was  Mrs.  Todd." 

156 


'Yes,"  he  said  hoarsely,  ''I  realize  what  you  are. 


BILLS,    BILLS,    BILLS 

"I  know,  but  even  if  you  had  been,  a  chauffeur 
has  no  right  to  buy  a  bathing  suit  and  charge  it  to 
his  employer.  A  bathing  suit  is  not  considered  in 
polite  society  as  exactly  the  uniform  of  a  chauf- 
feur." 

The  girl  laughed.  "Please,"  she  begged,  "don't 
be  foolish.  I  really  mean  that  you  ought  to  go.  I 
want  you  to." 

Algernon  leaned  across  the  table  and  laid  his 
hand  on  hers.  "I  am  an  ass,  Molly.  Forgive  me. 
That  my  ears  aren't  long  like  my  brethren's  is 
simply  an  oversight  on  my  Creator's  part.  No,  I  am 
not  going.  You  need  a  man  to  help  you  through, 
and  I  am  going  to  stay.  It  will  come  out  all  right, 
dear.  Trust  me." 

"I  don't  want  to  get  you  into  any  trouble — " 

"You're  not.  If  there  is  any  trouble,  I  am  get- 
ting myself  into  it.  Don't  worry  about  me." 

"But,  Joe,"  she  rose  and  threw  out  her  hands, 
"do  you  realize  what  I  am — " 

Algernon  rose  and  caught  her  hands.  "Yes,"  he 
said  hoarsely,  "I  realize  what  you  are,  and  God 
help  me,  Molly  O'Toole,  if  you  aren't  good  to  me." 

"Don't!"  she  cried  sharply,  jerking  her  hands 
free  and  turning  aside. 

Algernon  stared  a  moment  at  the  bent  head,  at 
157 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

the  dainty  profile  and  the  black  hair  curling  in  the 
nape  of  her  soft  white  neck,  his  hands  thrust  in  the 
pockets  of  his  coat  to  keep  his  arms  from  going 
around  her  and  drawing  her  to  him,  then  he 
laughed  unsteadily,  and  turning  to  the  table,  picked 
up  his  pipe  and  stuck  it  in  his  mouth.  Damn !  what 
a  fool  he  was,  letting  himself  go  like  that  when  the 
girl  hardly  more  than  knew  him.  He  walked  to 
the  great  empty  fireplace  and  slowly  knocked  the 
ashes  from  his  pipe  and  cleaned  it,  humming  a  bit 
of  a  tune  in  a  vain  attempt  to  show  that  he 
had  meant  nothing  by  his  sudden  seriousness,  then 
he  strolled  carelessly  back  to  the  table  and  sat  on  it, 
hands  in  his  pockets,  one  foot  swinging.  Molly  was 
nervously  arranging  and  rearranging  the  bills  and 
did  not  look  up. 

"This  is  the  first  position  as  chauffeur  I  have 
ever  had,"  declared  Algernon  with  forced  gaiety. 
"Please  don't  discharge  me.  I  have  no  place  to  go." 

A  sudden  idea  came  to  the  girl  and  she  looked 
up  quickly.  "I  do  discharge  you,"  said  she.  "I 
am  Mrs.  Todd's  housekeeper.  I  have  full  right  to 
engage  or  discharge  any  one  as  I  see  fit.  I  engaged 
you.  You — I — am  not  satisfied.  I  discharge  you. 
I  shall  give  you  your  week's  pay — " 

"I  refuse  absolutely  to  be  discharged,"  said  Al- 
158 


BILLS,    BILLS,    BILLS 

gernon  firmly.  "I  belong  to  the  Amalgamated  As- 
sociation of  Chauffeurs,  No.  4972,  and  you  can't 
discharge  me.  My  union  won't  stand  for  it." 

"Oh,  please,  be  serious,"  begged  the  girl.  "You 
are  young — " 

"And  you  are  younger,"  returned  Algernon,  try- 
ing to  see  into  her  eyes.  "I  can't  be  serious.  I  was 
born  a  fool  and  shall  probably  die  one." 

"But  you  needn't  die  anything  else,  besides,"  pro- 
tested the  girl,  half  laughing,  half  annoyed. 

"I  dyed  a  coat  once,"  said  Algernon,  "and  then 
gave  it  to  my  valet — had  to  pay  him  to  take  it." 

"Your  valet!" 

"My  valet,"  declared  Algernon  firmly,  realizing 
his  break.  "I  have  an  income  of  fifty  million." 

The  girl  laughed  at  his  nonsense.  "If  you  stay 
you  will  get  into  trouble — " 

"If  I  go,  I  shall  get  into  worse." 

"I  had  been  out  of  a  job  so  long,"  said  the  girl, 
half  to  him,  half  to  herself,  trying  to  excuse  her 
conduct  in  the  eyes  of  the  flippant  youth  who  would 
not  be  serious,  "and  was  so  sick  of  poverty,  I  want- 
ed to  see  how  it  felt  to  be  rich  once  before  I  died. 
I  wanted  to  be  able  to  boast  that  once  in  my  life  I 
knew  the  blessings  of  wealth.  Poverty  is  hell,  as 
you  probably  know,  Joe." 

159 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  Algernon,  "I  know." 

"A  mixture  of  hell  and  heaven,"  mused  the  girl. 
"Now  you  have  a  job  and  now  you  haven't." 

"Or  else  you  never  lose  your  job  and  then  it's 
plain  hell,"  said  Algernon,  feeling  called  upon  to 
add  his  little  to  the  conversation. 

Molly  nodded.  "  The  terrible  monotony  of  a  job 
you  hate  is  certainly  awful,"  she  agreed. 

"It  is,"  declared  Algernon. 

For  a  while  both  were  silent.  Molly  was  busy 
with  the  bills  before  her,  and  Algernon  gazed  mood- 
ily at  the  floor,  lost  in  thought  Finally  the  girl 
looked  up  and  spoke  in  her  old  gay  indifference  and 
Algernon  knew  she  had  given  up  the  attempt  to  get 
him  to  go  before  trouble  came. 

"Day  after  to-morrow,"  said  she,  "I  am  going 
to  have  a  lawn  party."  She  waved  her  hand  loftily 
with  the  air  of  a  proprietor,  toward  the  stretch  of 
lawn  beyond  the  windows.  "My  soul  pines  to  be  a 
shining  social  light,  so  I  am  going  to  have  a  fete." 

"Who  are  coming?" 

"Everybody — all  the  aristocracy." 

"Hancock,  too?" 

"Everybody !  Why  don't  you  come,  if  you  want 
to?  There  is  no  social  distinction  in  this  annex  to 
the  North  Pole.  Everybody's  servants  eat  with  them 

1 60 


BILLS,    BILLS,    BILLS 

and  go  to  parties  and  'socials'  with  them.     Equality, 
poverty,  piety,  are  the  three  watchwords  up  here." 

"Poverty  is  the  only  thing  I  can  honestly  claim," 
sighed  Algernon.  "I  guess  I  had  better  not  come. 
Your  guests  will  think  they  are  getting  a  glimpse 
of  the  Four  Hundred,  and  the  more  exclusive  you 
are  the  more  exclusive  they  will  feel,  and  the  more 
exclusive  they  will  feel  the  more  they  will  enjoy  it." 

"All  of  us  snobs,"  sneered  the  girl. 

"All  but  me,"  agreed  Algernon. 

"The  man  who  flatters  himself  that  he  is  no  snob 
is  the  worst  snob  of  all,"  declared  Molly. 

"How  do  you  make  that  out?" 

"Why,  don't  you  see,  in  his  estimation  there  is 
only  one  person  in  his  class  and  that's  himself." 

"Then  not  to  be  the  worst  snob  one  ought  to  be 
a  snob,"  agreed  Algernon. 

"Will  you  see  that  the  car  goes  to  the  village  and 
picks  up  all  the  old  people?  The  festivities  begin 
at  three." 

"Yes,  I  will,"  returned  Algernon.  He  slipped 
from  the  table,  lingering  a  moment,  his  eyes  on 
the  girl.  But  she  would  not  look  up,  and  he  took 
his  hat  and  backed  to  the  long  French  windows. 

"I  will  see  to  it,  ma'am,"  said  he.  "Thank  you, 
ma'am.  Good  night." 

161 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"Good  night,  Joe." 

Outside  in  the  gloom,  Algernon  turned  to  come 
back  for  a  last  foolish  word.  He  drew  aside  the 
lace  curtain  and  then  dropped  it  and  stole  away 
across  the  terrace,  carrying  with  him  a  picture  of 
the  great  dim  room  and  the  girl,  her  arms  on  the 
table  among  the  scattered  bills,  her  face  hidden  in 
the  folds  of  her  arms. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

CROSS-EXAMINATION 

THERE  was  a  steady  wind  from  the  east  and 
before  it  the  fog  swept  inland  and  lost  itself 
among  the  hills  and  forests,  but  the  evening  was  cool 
and  clear  as  Algernon  turned  into  the  road  to  North 
Brockton  for  his  nightly  ride  before  going  to  bed. 

Young  Hancock  had  come  early,  to  see  the  moon 
rise  over  the  ocean,  he  had  said.  For  the  full 
effect  one  should  see  it  from  Castle  Crags.  The 
Pines  stood  as  near  the  cliffs,  but  was  somehow 
not  so  well  situated  for  that  particular  moonrise. 
So  they  had  gone  to  the  rocks,  Molly  in  a  long  yel- 
low wrap,  bewitchingly  fascinating,  the  man  laden 
down  with  rugs  and  pillows ;  and  Algernon,  watch- 
ing them  from  the  darkness  of  the  summer-house 
where  he  had  gone  to  smoke  his  after-dinner  pipe, 
realized  with  a  sudden  fierce  pain  what  Molly's 
object  was  in  playing  his  mother.  Like  the  sud- 
den flash  of  the  rising  moon  upon  the  crest  of  a 
tumbling  wave  it  came  to  him. 

She  had  started  in  fun,  as  she  had  said,  but  her 
163 


intentions  had  changed  and  Hancock  with  them. 
She  intended  to  marry  him,  but  how  could  she  bring 
it  about?  Hancock  was  a  quiet  high-minded  young 
fellow  with  an  inherited  distaste  for  anything  ir- 
regular, and  how  could  Molly  explain  the  situation? 
If  Hancock  should  propose  before  the  month  was  up 
and  the  real  Mrs.  Todd  had  returned,  Molly  would 
either  have  to  confess  to  him  who  she  was  or  else 
persuade  him  to  elope  for  some  foolish  reason  or 
other  and  marry  her  secretly  before  a  hint  of  such 
a  thing  reached  the  papers  and  in  time  Algernon's 
mother.  If  she  did  not  confess,  Hancock's  method- 
ical soul  would  insist  upon  announcements  of  the 
engagement,  upon  a  decent  interval  before  the  wed- 
ding, and  above  all  upon  frank  publicity.  But  even  a 
quiet  country  wedding,  among  pastoral  scenes,  of  a 
person  so  well-known  as  Mrs.  Todd,  the  widow  of 
the  great  Phineas  B.  Todd,  would  be  chronicled  in 
the  papers  somehow  the  day  before  it  was  consum- 
mated, and  then  it  could  never  be  consummated, 
unless  Hancock's  love  was  great  enough  to  forgive 
deception.  When  Hancock  proposed  Molly  would 
have  to  take  the  initiative  as  to  the  marriage,  and 
Algernon  wondered  if  she  would  be  clever  enough 
to  do  so  and  yet  let  Hancock  believe  that  it  was  he 
who  was  doing  the  urging  to  hasten  the  happy  day. 

164 


CROSS-EXAMINATION 

Or  when  sure  of  his  love  by  spoken  avowal,  did 
Molly  intend  to  confess  all  and  throw  herself  upon 
his  mercy?  The  risk  would  be  great,  and  Alger- 
non shook  his  head  gloomily  as  he  made  his  way 
to  the  garage,  moody  and  unhappy. 

The  second  groom,  Bates,  stood  watching  him  as 
he  cranked  the  car  and  lifted  the  yaller  pup  into 
the  seat  of  honor  that  had  been  occupied  the  night 
before  by  his  lady. 

"Seems  to  me,"  remarked  the  youth,  as  Algernon 
began  to  pull  on  his  gloves,  "seems  to  me  that  young 
Mr.  Hancock  is  here  a  darned  lot." 

"Shucks !"  sneered  Algernon.  "You  ought  to  see 
the  way  the  rich  people  visit  down  in  the  cities. 
They  are  never  home,  either  in  one  friend's  house 
or  another's.  There's  no  one  for  Hancock  to  visit 
up  here  but  Mrs.  Todd." 

"Everybody  can't  be  visiting  around,"  contended 
Bates,  "or  there  would  be  no  one  to  visit." 

"You  don't  call  with  the  hope  of  finding  any  one 
in,"  explained  Algernon  mildly.  "Heavens,  if  any 
one  is  so  thoughtless  as  to  be  in  you  cut  him  off 
your  calling  list." 

Bates  sniffed.     "That's  Christian,  ain't  it?" 

"It's  not  Christian.  It's  New  York,"  said  Al- 
gernon. 

165 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"Hancock  finds  Mrs.  Todd  in  every  time  he  calls. 
Why  doesn't  he  cut  her  off  his  list  ?" 

Algernon  waived  the  point  airily  aside.  "He 
isn't  New  York.  He's  Boston.  The  chief  end  of 
man  in  New  York  is  dissipation,  in  Boston,  con- 
versation." 

"What  do  they  talk  about?" 

"Themselves.  Egotism  is  the  root  of  all  con- 
versations." 

"Money  is  the  root  of  all  evil,"  corrected  Bates 
coldly.  "And  I  guess  it  is.  They  must  be  fierce, 
them  rich  folks." 

"They  have  keepers,"  said  Algernon  flippantly. 
"Besides,"  he  added  rashly,  endeavoring  to  head 
off  a  question  he  saw  formulating  in  Bates'  round 
red  head,  "Hancock  isn't  here  so  often.  Why,  he 
hasn't  been  here  for  a  long  time." 

"He  was  here  this  afternoon,"  said  Bates  calmly. 

"Well,  he  and  Molly  wanted  to  talk  over  the 
lawn  party,"  said  Algernon,  hastily  climbing  into 
the  car. 

"Who's  Molly?"  asked  Bates,  slow,  persistent, 
immovable. 

"Molly?"  temporized  Algernon  desperately.  "I 
don't  know.  Who  said  anything  about  Molly?" 

"You  did." 

166 


CROSS-EXAMINATION 

"Rats!"  declared  Algernon  with  some  heat. 
"I  did  not.  Why  should  I?  I  don't  know  any  one 
by  the  name  of  Molly.  Why  should  I  call  any  one 
Molly?  Tell  me  that.  Why  should  I?  Would 
any  one  call  another  by  a  name  they  had  never 
heard  before  and  knew  didn't  belong  to  her — " 

"To  who?" 

"Why,  to  any  one,  to  no  one.  Of  course  not.  It 
is  silly  to  suppose  such  a  thing-  So  why  should  I  ? 
Tell  me  that." 

Bates  was  not  the  man  to  waste  the  flying  mo- 
ments by  entering  upon  a  long  discussion  of  the 
abstract  why  and  wherefore  of  anything.  "Don't 
know,  but  you  did,"  he  insisted  firmly.  "I  heard 
you.  You  said  Hancock  and  Molly  were  talking 
about  the  lawn  party." 

Algernon  laughed  nervously.  "Oh,  yes,  maybe 
I  did.  Down  in  the  city  we  chauffeurs  call  our  lady 
bosses  Molly,  you  know.  Up  here  you  call  them  the 
old  woman  or  the  missis,  I  believe." 

And  leaving  the  groom  to  assimilate  this  last 
piece  of  intelligence  as  slowly  as  he  wanted  to,  Al- 
gernon hastily  started  the  car  before  Bates  could 
have  time  to  reply  or  question. 

"If  Bates  makes  it  a  point  to  cross-examine  me," 
thought  Algernon,  "something  is  going  to  drop. 

167 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

He  got  me  so  rattled  I  didn't  know  what  I  was  say- 
ing. My  head  was  always  my  one  weakness,  as 
mama  says.  My  mind  is  like  a  lottery  ticket,  a  per- 
fect blank  when  one  needs  it  the  most  A  marked 
coldness  has  got  to  spring  up  between  Bates  and 
me  or  I  see  where  the  month  becomes  a  day  and  I 
probably  land  in  the  asylum  reserved  for  those 
whose  weakness  of  mentality  is  unfortunately 
known  by  the  authorities." 

The  car  rolled  along  smoothly  and  quietly  with 
the  gentle  panting  of  the  engine  like  the  contented 
purring  of  an  enormous  cat.  It  was  growing  dark 
rapidly,  and  from  the  fields  on  either  side  of  the 
road  came  the  first  full  notes  of  the  evening  or- 
chestra from  its  stand  in  the  ponds  and  ditches. 
The  crickets  called  incessantly,  one  high  shrill  note 
of  accompaniment  to  the  frogs'  deep  bass.  The  air 
was  heavy  with  the  pungent  odor  of  the  fields  after 
the  sun  goes  down,  mingled  with  the  salt  breath  of 
the  sea.  Alone  in  the  darkening  night,  in  the  swift- 
ly moving  car,  Algernon  sought  to  get  the  best  of 
that  dull  ache  in  his  heart,  to  forget  those  two  wait- 
ing on  the  rocks  for  the  moon  to  come  up  over  the 
tumbling  sea. 

There  was  something  the  matter  with  one  of  the 
lamps  which  Algernon  had  forgot  to  fix  after 

1 68 


CROSS-EXAMINATION 

the  night  before,  and  he  stopped  at  the  edge  of  the 
village  street  to  see  if  he  could  not  rectify  it.  Hig- 
gins  strolled  up  out  of  the  deepening  shadows  and 
hailed  him. 

"Hullo,  that  you,  Holmes?" 

"Yes,"  said  Algernon. 

"Nice  night,"  said  Higgins. 

Algernon  agreed. 

"What  were  you  doing  down  here  about  an  hour 
ago?"  asked  Higgins. 

"Not  guilty,"  said  Algernon,  beginning  to  think 
of  Bates  and  determined  to  keep  his  head  this  time. 
"I  haven't  been  down  here  before  this  evening." 

"That  so,"  said  Higgins,  with  an  indefinable  air 
of  pleasant  relief,  like  a  man  not  disappointed  when 
he  feared  to  be.  "I  thought  maybe  it  was  you.  A 
big  red  touring  car  went  by  without  any  lights. 
Thought  it  was  you  and  you  had  forgot  some- 
thing. The  car  was  going  in  the  direction  of  the 
Todd  place." 

Algernon  struggled  with  the  lamp  and  sought 
desperately  to  change  the  subject.  "Forgetfulness," 
said  he  airily,  "is  my  one  weakness.  I'm  like  the 
math.  prof.  I  had  when  I  was  a  freshie.  He  took  the 
baby  out  in  its  buggy  once  and  met  a  friend  on  a 
street  corner.  They  stopped  to  talk  and  finally 

169 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

walked  off  together.  When  the  prof,  got  home  he 
was  worried.  'My  dear,'  said  he  to  his  wife,  'I'm 
afraid  I've  forgotten  something.'  'Never  mind,  my 
love,'  said  she.  'It's  only  the  baby.' ' 

"Guess  it  was  Hancock,"  said  Higgins,  placidly 
ignoring  the  lost  baby  and  the  college  professor. 

"Maybe  it  was,"  admitted  Algernon  vaguely. 

"He's  up  there  quite  a  bit,"  suggested  Higgins. 

"Oh,  I  don't  know.  Not  as  much  as  he  might 
be,"  returned  Algernon,  engrossed  in  the  lamps. 

"No,"  agreed  Higgins.    "He  don't  sleep  there." 

Again  Algernon  felt  called  upon  to  make  a  reply 
and  again  sought  to  change  the  subject.  "Know 
anything  about  motor-cars?" 

"No,"  said  Higgins  shortly-  "She's  a  mighty 
pretty  woman.  You  can't  blame  him  none." 

"He's  a  family  friend,"  said  Algernon  with  rare 
presence  of  mind.  "They've  known  each  other  all 
their  lives,  went  to  the  same  parties  together  when 
he  wore  knickerbockers  and  she  short  skirts.  Their 
houses  are  next  door  to  each  other  in  the  city." 

"Which  city?  He's  from  Boston;  she's  New 
York." 

"Only  since  her  marriage,"  drawled  Algernon 
with  careless  indifference,  pleased  and  surprised  at 
his  own  unexpected  readiness,  and  without  waiting 

170 


CROSS-EXAMINATION 

longer  to  fix  the  lamp,  he  climbed  into  the  car  and 
drove  hastily  away,  trusting  that  the  moonlight 
would  serve  in  place  of  lamps. 

He  kept  thinking  of  those  two  on  the  rocks.  The 
moon  did  not  come  up  when  he  thought  it  would, 
and  bored  with  his  lonely  ride  in  the  dark,  he 
turned  early  and  started  home.  On  the  outskirts 
of  the  village  through  which  he  would  have  to  pass, 
he  stopped  again  and  tried  to  fix  the  lamps,  not 
caring  to  be  arrested  and  compelling  Molly  to  bail 
him  out  when  he  was  not  sure  how  much  money  she 
had  or  what  financial  arrangements  she  and  his 
mother  had  made.  The  lad  who  had  compared 
Molly's  eyes  to  the  larkspurs  by  the  town  pump,  on 
the  way  home  from  a  village  "social,"  paused  a  mo- 
ment to  watch  him. 

"Just  seen  Hancock  pass,  going  home,"  said  he, 
and  Algernon's  heart  lightened.  But  he  simply 
bent  over  the  lamp  and  did  not  look  up  or  reply. 

"He's  up  to  the  Crags  a  lot,"  said  the  boy, 
cheerfully  loquacious. 

Algernon  straightened  up,  frowning.  "Great 
guns — "  he  began,  and  then  stopped  and  laughed. 
If  he  grew  angry,  it  would  simply  create  more  talk 
and  young  Hancock's  infatuation  for  Todd's  widow 
might  become  common  gossip  in  Brockton  and  so 

171 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

the  presence  of  the  widow  in  North  Brockton  be 
known  to  the  world  at  large  and  eventually  to  the 
unsuspecting  Mrs.  Todd  in  Europe,  through  the 
medium  of  the  press.  Algernon  knew  only  too  well 
how  eagerly  the  papers  would  seize  upon  the  elderly 
and  exclusive  Mrs.  Todd's  flirtation  with  a  youth 
young  enough  to  be  her  son;  with  what  delicacy, 
what  highly  veiled  amusement,  they  would  barely 
suggest  the  tender  relations  between  the  two,  how 
bitingly  sarcastic  would  seem  the  adjective  "young" 
which  would  inevitably  and  all  seriously  be  applied 
to  the  widow  by  those  papers  ignorant  of  the  lady's 
age,  how  joyously  repeated  by  the  big  dailies  that 
knew.  Algernon's  desire  to  put  an  end  to  the  silly 
gossip  by  murder  passed  and  he  recalled  a  remark 
of  James.  "Never  try  to  put  yourself  right.  You 
can't  do  it.  Put  the  other  fellow  so  far  in  the  wrong 
he  will  forget  your  crime,  standing  up  for  himself." 

"You  aren't  the  one  to  blame  him  if  he  is,"  said 
Algernon  coldly,  regarding  the  youth  with  sneering 
disapproval. 

"I  ain't?    Why  not?"  demanded  the  boy. 

Algernon  shrugged  a  village  scandal  aside  indif- 
ferently, meaningly,  and  turned  again  to  the  lamp. 

"Why  ain't  I  the  one  to  blame  him?"  demanded 
the  boy  again,  more  hotly. 

172 


CROSS-EXAMINATION 

"You're  Jim  Brown,  aren't  you?"  asked  Alger- 
non, pausing  a  moment  to  put  the  question. 

"Yes." 

"Work  at  the  store,  don't  you  ?" 

"Yes." 

"I  thought  you  were  the  one  meant,"  said  Alger- 
non darkly.  He  lighted  the  lamp  and  climbed  into 
the  car,  starting  it  slowly  that  he  might  catch  the 
boy's  last  words  and  be  sure  that  James'  advice  to 
involve  the  other  fellow  had  been  successful  in  this 
case.  It  had.  The  boy's  voice  was  tense  with  excite- 
ment, curiosity  and  anger;  his  round  freckled  face 
as  seen  in  the  lamplight  was  red,  frowning,  drawn. 

"Say,"  he  demanded,  "has  any  one  been  telling 
you  things  about  me?" 

"Oh,  well,"  said  Algernon  vaguely,  soothingly 
incriminating,  as  he  quickened  the  speed  of  the 
car  and  left  the  unhappy  youth  alone  in  the  middle 
of  the  road,  in  the  darkness  of  the  summer  night. 

He  reached  the  top  of  the  hill  on  the  other  side  of 
the  village,  when  he  saw  the  flutter  of  a  woman's 
white  skirts  disappearing  into  the  bushes  at  the  side 
of  the  road.  It  was  early  yet,  thought  Algernon 
joyously,  Hancock  had  gone  home  without  waiting 
for  the  moon  to  rise  and  here  was  Molly  coming 
down  the  road  to  meet  him.  Then  cold  reason  told 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

him  that  she  not  only  had  not  the  slightest  idea 
where  he  had  gone  but  that  she  did  not  even  know 
he  was  gone. 

Algernon  climbed  from  the  car  and  waited  a 
moment  to  hear  which  way  she  had  gone.  She  was 
apparently  going  fast  in  a  vain  attempt  to  get  as 
far  away  as  possible,  for  he  caught  the  sound  of  her 
breaking  hastily  through  the  bushes  and  brambles. 
He  followed  her  and  presently  saw  her,  brought  to 
a  halt  by  a  barb-wire  fence.  Her  arms  were  resting 
on  the  top  wire  between  the  barbs  and  she  was 
clearly  wrapped  in  a  dreamy  contemplation  of  the 
marshy  meadow-land  and  grove  of  gnarled  and 
twisted  trees  beyond  the  fence,  for  she  did  not  turn, 
though  it  seemed  impossible  that  she  should  not  have 
heard  him  behind  her. 

"Good  evening,"  said  Algernon,  bowing  gallantly 
to  her  back. 

"Good  evening,"  said  she,  not  turning  around. 

"What  are  you  doing?"  he  asked  pleasantly. 

"Nothing,"  said  she,  which  was  evident. 

"Come  and  drive  with  me,  then.  It's  a  grand 
night.  Come  on.  We  shall  be  in  Brockton  in 
twenty  minutes;  ten,  if  you  say  the  word." 

"Thank  you ;  but  really,  I — er — I  am  busy." 

"On  a  night  like  this,"  urged  Algernon,  drawing 
174 


CROSS-EXAMINATION 

nearer  and  whispering  into  the  small  ear  with  the 
tender  fall  in  his  voice  he  could  not  help.  "On  a 
night  like  this,  moonlit,  cool,  with  a  good  car,  a 
straight  road,  and — and — why,  it's  pleasant." 

Suddenly  overcome  with  the  embarrassment  she 
always  aroused  in  him  when  he  realized  that  she 
was  for  the  time  Mrs.  Todd  and  he  her  chauffeur, 
he  ended  lamely  and  wondered  why  the  deuce  he 
couldn't  have  done  it  better  and  said  what  he  had 
started  out  to  say  relative  to  a  glorious  night  and 
good  company. 

"I  do  not  care  to  ride,  Joe,"  said  she  clearly  and 
sweetly.  "Mr.  Hancock  went  early  and  I  came  out 
for  a  little  walk."  She  stopped,  realizing  that  she 
had  made  a  foolish  mistake  explaining  her  actions 
and  those  of  her  guest  to  her  chauffeur.  What  in- 
terest should  he  have  in  the  matter? 

Emboldened  by  her  mistake,  Algernon  drew 
nearer  and  sought  to  see  into  her  averted  face. 
"Please  come,"  he  teased.  "It's  like  swimming."  . 

She  laughed  and  turned,  the  barriers  down  again 
by  her  own  fault.  After  this  she  would  have  to  be 
more  careful.  Hancock  had  gone  home  in  a  pique, 
vowing  that  she  was  thinking  of  another  besides 
himself,  and  she  had  denied  that  she  was  thinking 
of  any  one  and  knew  that  she  was  not  telling  the 

H  75 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

truth  when  she  did  so.  After  to-night  she  would  be 
more  careful. 

Algernon,  realizing  that  the  ice  was  once  more 
breaking,  laughed  too. 

"If  clothes  don't  make  a  gentleman,  does  a  motor- 
car?" he  asked  lightly,  holding  aside  the  branches 
that  she  might  pass. 

"I  don't  know,"  said  she.     "Does  it?" 

"That,"  said  Algernon,  "is  a  conundrum  like  a 
telegram  announcing  the  coming  of  your  mother- 
in-law.  There  is  no  answer;  provided,  in  the  latter 
case,  you  want  to  tell  the  truth  and  at  the  same  time 
keep  the  peace." 

"Poor  mother-in-laws,"  said  she  and  laughed, 
feeling  vaguely  irritated.  Joe  might  be  married  for 
all  she  knew  to  the  contrary.  "I  suppose  you  have 
suffered  yourself  from  one,  or  you  would  not  know." 

"No,"  said  Algernon  cheerfully.  "My  childlike 
faith  in  humanity  has  not  yet  been  shaken,  and  I  am 
going  to  see  that  it  never  is.  When  I  marry,  I  am 
going  to  marry  an  orphan  with  a  million  dollars  and 
an  affidavit  that  she  has  no  living  relatives." 

"Poor  orphan !"  said  she  and  laughed  again,  full 
and  free  and  joyous.  No;  he  wasn't  married.  But 
what  difference  did  it  make  to  her? 

"Not  at  all,"  contradicted  Algernon.  "Poor  me!" 
176 


CROSS-EXAMINATION 

He  helped  her  into  the  car  with  a  flourish,  the 
last  of  her  hauteur  disappearing  in  the  ripples  of 
her  girlish  mirth. 

Algernon  had  a  fatal  tendency  to  oversleep,  and 
the  next  morning  as  he  hurried  through  the  wood- 
land path  to  the  beach,  he  hoped  anxiously  that 
Molly  had  been  kind  and  was  waiting  for  him. 

It  was  a  damp  foggy  morning  and  the  waves 
rolled  up  the  beach  from  under  a  cheerless  canopy 
of  gray.  The  sloop  rocked  and  tossed  in  protest 
at  its  idleness,  and  from  beyond  the  point  of  the  cliffs 
the  sea-gulls  wheeled  and  floated  through  the  air. 
Algernon  was  aware  of  the  fact  that  he  was  later 
than  usual,  but  memories  of  the  night  before  and 
Molly's  friendliness  buoyed  him  up  and  made  him 
almost  certain  that  she  was  there,  standing  slim  and 
graceful  by  the  water's  edge,  "getting  up  spunk 
to  go  in,"  as  she  had  once  assured  him  so  that  he 
might  not  flatter  himself  that  she  was  waiting  for 
him. 

A  person  was  standing  at  the  water's  edge,  re- 
garding the  waves  thoughtfully,  a  tall  lank  person 
whom  Algernon  recognized  angrily  and  at  once 
as  Mr.  Joseph  Holmes.  He  had  on  an  old  duster, 
beneath  whose  abbreviated  hem  appeared  his  bare 

177 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

legs.  His  feet  were  thrust  into  a  pair  of  sneakers. 
A  towel  was  wound  around  his  neck  and  he  held  a 
bundle  of  clothes  under  one  arm.  He  turned  and 
nodded  as  he  heard  Algernon's  approach. 

"Hullo,"  said  he. 

"Hullo,"  returned  Algernon.     "Going  in?" 

"Can't  say.     It  looks  pleasant,  but — " 

Algernon  looked  at  the  cold  gray  expanse  before 
him,  at  the  sullen  little  combers  washing  up  the 
stones  at  his  feet  with  a  gurgling  splash,  and 
shivered. 

"I  will  go  in  if  you  will,"  said  he. 

"It  looks  nice,"  admitted  Holmes  dubiously. 

"It's  terribly  cold,"  said  Algernon,  feeling  his  de- 
sire for  a  swim  disappearing  as  the  fog  deepened, 
and  his  wonder  what  Molly  was  up  to  grew.  Had 
she  come  to  the  beach,  seen  the  stranger  and  gone 
back  to  the  house,  or  had  she  decided  not  to  be 
friendly  with  him  any  more  ?  Never  to  go  in  swim- 
ming again? 

"A  good  swift  swim  will  give  us  an  appetite," 
remarked  Holmes,  shifting  the  bundle  under  his 
arm. 

"You  feel  so  dog-goned  wet  when  you  come  out," 
objected  Algernon. 

"I  will  go  if  you  will,"  said  Holmes. 
178 


CROSS-EXAMINATION 

Algernon  drew  his  blanket  closer  around  him  and 
offered  to  do  the  same  by  the  other. 

"Guess  we  had  better  not  You  haven't  any  suit 
on  this  morning."  And  Holmes  glanced  hopefully 
at  the  blanket. 

"Jove!"  said  Algernon.  "Are  you  a  disciple  of 
Comstock  ?" 

"We  are  so  near  the  Crags,"  protested  Holmes. 
"Mrs.  Todd  might  come  along  at  any  moment.  The 
bathing  beach  is  only  around  that  point  of  rocks, 
you  know." 

"Backing  out?"  sneered  Algernon,  wondering 
why  Holmes  had  come,  but  feeling  sure  that  it  was 
simply  with  the  innocent  desire  for  a  swim,  with  no 
intention  whatever  to  meet  either  himself  or  Molly. 
As  Holmes  said,  the  bathing  beach  was  simply 
around  the  point  of  rocks  and  he  might  have 
thought  that  Molly  had  swum  around  it  that  first 
morning  he  had  seen  her  and  him  going  through  the 
path  home. 

"No,  no,"  protested  Holmes.  "Certainly  not.  I 
would  like  to  go  in.  That  is  what  I  came  for — but 
• — really — I  don't  think  you  had  better,  and  I  would 
hate  to  go  in  and  leave  you  out  here.  Mrs.  Todd 
may  come  any  moment  and  find  you  with  noth- 
ing on." 

179 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"I  have  a  suit  on,"  said  Algernon  coldly.  Holmes 
had  seen  him  in  one  the  other  day.  He  simply 
didn't  want  to  go  in  and  was  trying  to  get  out  of  it 
gracefully,  thought  Algernon.  But  why,  then,  had 
he  come  ? 

"Well,  it's  late,"  said  the  other,  cheerfully  dis- 
appointed. "We  had  better  wait  until  another 
morning.  What  say  you  ?" 

"It  will  give  you  an  appetite,"  suggested  Al- 
gernon. 

"That  would  be  a  calamity,"  declared  Holmes. 
"The  food  at  the  hotel  is  simply  to  be  ignored, 
really,  believe  me." 

"Why  did  you  come?"  asked  Algernon  bluntly. 

Holmes  laughed  frankly.  "I  came  to  swim,  my 
dear  boy,  and  now  I  am  disgracefully  backing  out. 
The  water  looks  so  cold  it  makes  me  shiver  before  I 
am  in  it."  He  glanced  around.  "Shall  we  sit  down 
and  talk  a  while?" 

"No,"  said  Algernon.  "I  have  got  to  get  back. 
Hasn't  that  part  for  your  car  come  yet?" 

"No."  Holmes  followed  him  up  the  beach  to  the 
woods  and  went  with  him  a  short  way  along  the 
path.  "It's  most  provoking,  believe  me.  I  should 
have  taken  the  train  yesterday,  but  I  expected  it 
almost  immediately  and  now  I  feel  that  it  will  come 

1 80 


CROSS-EXAMINATION 

to-day.  It  is  only  two  days,  though,  and  I  could 
hardly  expect  it  to  get  here  so  soon." 

"What  did  you  run  away  from  us  that  night 
for?"  asked  Algernon,  stopping  and  facing  Holmes. 
He  was  anxious  to  be  rid  of  him,  fearful  lest  Molly, 
too,  may  have  overslept,  and  coming  along  the  path, 
find  Holmes  there.  Algernon  knew  that  she  would 
not  like  it. 

"Fun,"  said  Holmes  carelessly  and  shrugged.  "I 
didn't  know  you  simply  wanted  to  pass.  I  thought 
you  wanted  to  race  and  so  1  was  going  to  help  you 
to  your  desire,  believe  me." 

"It  was  fun,"  agreed  Algernon. 

"How's  the  little  comedy?"  asked  Holmes  care- 
lessly. 

Algernon  flushed.  He  was  annoyed  with  Holmes 
for  spoiling  his  morning,  but  the  fellow  was  doing 
him  a  good  turn  by  taking  another  name  for  a  while, 
a  kindness  few  men  would  have  been  willing  to  con- 
sent to,  and  Algernon  felt  that  he  should  at  least 
appear  grateful.  He  laughed  lightly,  and  shrugged 
the  question  aside.  "Come  and  see  me  when  you 
get  back  to  New  York,"  said  he,  offering  his  favors 
graciously.  "And  say,  if  you — er — if  you  get 
tight,  you  must  let  me  know." 

He  nodded  good-by  and  without  waiting  to  hear 
181 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

what  Holmes  said  in  reply,  hurried  away  through 
the  woods. 

Instead  of  taking  the  path  to  the  garage  he  chose 
the  one  through  the  rhododendron  bushes  to  the 
great  house.  But  the  stretch  of  lawn  before  it  was 
empty  and  after  waiting  a  moment  or  so,  he  decided 
that  Molly  had  repented  of  her  friendliness  and  was 
not  going  to  have  any  more  of  it,  instead,  taking 
her  swim  decorously  after  breakfast  at  the  regular 
bathing  beach. 


CHAPTER  IX 

ENDEARING  YOUNG  CHARMS 

MOLLY  ordered  one  of  the  cars  for  ten 
o'clock,  and  promptly  on  the  hour  Al- 
gernon rolled  to  the  door,  feeling  that  all  was  well 
again,  for  the  girl's  voice  over  the  telephone  had 
been  friendly,  the  good-natured  tones  of  Molly 
O'Toole  and  not  the  austere  ones  of  Mrs.  Todd  she 
was  wont  to  assume  when  she  sought  to  keep  him  in 
his  place.  Molly  appeared  on  the  terrace,  drawing  on 
her  gloves.  She  paused  a  moment  in  the  full  glory  of 
the  summer  sunshine  that  flooded  the  front  of  the 
house,  the  lawn,  the  woods  and  the  sparkling  sea. 
The  morning,  as  it  advanced,  had  become  clear, 
warm,  drowsy,  the  air  heavy  with  the  odor  of 
freshly  cut  grass  and  moist,  newly  turned  earth, 
while  the  breeze  that  wandered  seaward  brought 
with  it  the  scent  of  balsam  and  sun-warmed  pine- 
needles.  The  birds  raised  a  joyous  discordant 
clamor  among  the  vines  that  covered  the  house,  and 
from  the  distant  fields  came  the  steady  hum  of  a 
thrashing-machine. 

183 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

Pausing  in  the  open  doorway,  Molly  drank  in 
the  sweetness  of  the  morning,  head  uplifted,  a 
graceful  slender  figure  with  the  background  of  ivy 
and  brownstone  walls.  Her  gown,  as  usual,  was 
white,  exquisite  in  its  well-made  perfectly-fitting 
simplicity,  her  large  charming  hat  was  of  the  same 
color,  and  between  the  embroidered  hem  of  her 
gown  and  the  rim  of  her  dainty  white  shoes,  one 
caught  a  glimpse  of  slim  ankles  incased  in  the  soft- 
est of  white  silk  stockings.  She  carried  herself  with 
a  girlish  dignity  that  was  piquantly  emphasized 
by  the  saucy  little  nose  and  the  dimples  at  the  cor- 
ners of  her  crimson  mouth.  Algernon  gazed  at  her 
with  the  calm  satisfaction  of  an  artist  in  sartorial 
art,  and  the  gardener,  weeding  the  pansy  bed  at 
the  foot  of  the  terrace  steps,  stopped  his  labor  to 
stare  frankly. 

She  wished  the  gardener  a  gay  good  morning, 
nodded  to  Algernon  and  climbed  into  the  car,  giv- 
ing him  a  fleeting  glance  of  amused  understanding 
that  filled  him  with  a  warm  glow  of  delight. 

"What  do  you  think?"  she  asked  as  they  turned 
out  of  the  gates;  "do  I  act  the  great  lady  well?" 

"You  are  one,"  declared  Algernon,  his  voice 
athrill  with  the  glance  she  had  given  him. 

184 


ENDEARING    YOUNG    CHARMS 

"Do  I  act  like  a  rich  one?"  she  persisted.  "One 
to  the  money  born?" 

"I  couldn't  do  it  better,"  declared  Algernon. 

"You!"  she  laughed. 

Algernon  blushed.  "I  always  feel,"  said  he  air- 
ily, "that  I  and  perfection  are  one." 

"That  must  be  comforting,"  said  she. 

"It  is,"  agreed  Algernon.  "Why  didn't  you  come 
in  swimming  this  morning?" 

"I  started,  but  I  found  the  beach  occupied.  He 
didn't  see  me,  though,  and  I  crept  back.  Is  he  the 
stranger  we  raced  with?" 

"Yes,"  said  Algernon.  "He  won't  come  again, 
though.  He  is  only  waiting  for  a  part  of  his  car  to 
come  from  Boston  and  then  he  is  going  on  to  Can- 
ada." 

"I  hope  he  won't  come  again,"  said  she.  "I  like 
to  swim  before  breakfast  and  I  should  hate  to  give 
it  up." 

"He  won't  come,"  said  Algernon  reassuringly. 

They  said  no  more  as  they  rode  to  the  village. 
Molly  was  busy  with  thoughts  for  the  coming 
lawn  party,  and  Algernon  with  thoughts  of  her.  He 
would  win  her  away  from  Hancock  and  keep  her 
for  himself.  His  mother  always  said  that  he  would 

185 


be  married  simply  because  of  the  money  he  owned. 
He  would  show  her  that  it  was  not  so,  that,  unaided, 
unknown,  an  humble  chauffeur,  he  could  win  the 
one  girl  worth  winning  away  from  money  itself. 
He  would  beat  Hancock  in  the  race  for  a  woman's 
hand,  Hancock  with  the  advantage  of  his  wealth 
and  position,  he  himself  in  the  humble  guise  of  a 
servant,  without  money  or  reputation. 

They  stopped  in  front  of  the  village  store  and 
while  Molly  went  in,  Algernon  sat  in  the  car  and 
dreamed,  in  the  drowsy  warmth  of  the  long  dusty 
street.  He  caught  a  glimpse  of  Mr.  Holmes  loung- 
ing on  the  porch  of  the  hotel,  but  passed  him  simply 
with  a  wave  of  the  hand.  Mr.  Holmes  made  no  at- 
tempt to  claim  his  friendship.  Presently  Molly  re- 
turned, her  arms  full  of  bundles,  and  accompanied 
to  the  door  by  the  admiring  Higgins. 

The  storekeeper  helped  her  into  the  car  and  ar- 
ranged her  bundles  with  great  care. 

"Don't  forget  to-morrow  and  my  party,"  said 
she  gaily. 

Higgins  beamed,  and  swore  he  would  be  there. 

"Can't  I  send  my  car  for  you  and  your  wife?" 

Higgins  protested  and  after  a  good-natured  ar- 
gument, Molly  bade  him  good-by  and  turned  to  Al- 
gernon. 

1 86 


ENDEARING   YOUNG    CHARMS 

"Home,"  said  she  in  the  expressionless  tones  of 
one  addressing  an  automaton,  not  daring  to  catch 
his  eye.  With  a  face  as  expressionless  as  the  tones 
of  her  voice,  Algernon  started  the  car  and  turned 
it  toward  Castle  Crags. 

Molly  leaned  back  in  the  deep  soft  seat  and 
gazed  up  the  long  dusty  road  through  half-shut 
sleepy  eyes.  The  car  glided  along  smoothly,  with  a 
soothingly  monotonous  purr  of  the  engines.  On  one 
side  of  the  road  lay  fields  of  ripened  grain,  on  the 
other  side  were  the  woods  and  the  ocean  of  which 
one  could  catch  glimpses  now  and  then  through  the 
trees.  It  was  very  warm  and  quiet  with  only  the 
insects  to  buzz  and  drone.  The  bees  and  a  seem- 
ingly endless  number  of  small  yellow  butterflies 
darted  among  the  browning  brambles  on  each  side 
of  the  road.  The  goldenrod  flamed  by  the  wayside 
in  the  midst  of  asters  and  great  heavy-headed  milk- 
weed, lightening  the  dun  brown  bushes  of  late 
'summer.  Peace  covered  all  and  seemed  to  tuck  one 
,in  as  a  downy  bed-quilt  on  a  cold  night  in  winter. 
.  Suddenly  Molly  opened  her  eyes  wide  and 
glanced  sidewise  at  her  companion,  the  little  imps 
hidden  behind  the  long  black  lashes  danced  and 
the  dimples  appeared  at  each  corner  of  her  bewitch- 
i'ng  mouth. 

I87 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"Joe,"  said  she,  "it's  worth  it." 

Algernon  turned  and  smiled  down  at  the  piquant 
face  beneath  the  brim  of  the  big  white  hat. 

"What  is  worth  what?"  he  asked,  amused. 

"The  last  two  months.  No  matter  what  happens, 
they  can't  be  taken  away  from  me.  I  have  really 
felt  what  it  means  to  be  rich,  and  no  one  can  change 
that  whether  I  remain  so  or  not.  It's  grand  to  have 
nothing  to  do,  to  lie  in  bed  and  have  your  breakfast 
brought  to  you,  to  order  this  and  that  and  the  other 
and  have  some  one  run  and  fetch  them  for  you,  to 
have  clothes,  clothes,  clothes,  until  you  don't  want 
any  more.  Money !  It  means  a  lot.  No  wonder  men 
lose  their  souls  for  it."  There  was  a  hard  ring  in 
her  sweet  voice  and  an  expression  of  greed  crossed 
her  face  like  the  swift  shadow  of  a  cloud  across  a 
tiny  brook. 

"Nonsense!"  said  Algernon,  "if  you  were  old  and 
fat  and  ugly  and  had  indigestion  and  rheumatism, 
you  wouldn't  think  money  is  everything." 

"It  would  be  compensation  for  the  rest  of  every- 
thing that  I  didn't  have.  Don't  talk  to  me  about 
love  and  peace  and  happiness  going  hand  in  hand 
with  poverty.  I  know.  I  have  tried  both  now, 
wealth  and  poverty."  She  laughed.  "Poverty,"  and 
she  flung  out  her  hands  with  a  gesture  of  mingled 

1 88 


abhorrence  and  wisdom.  "Poverty  grinds  a  man's 
soul  to  pieces !" 

"Oh,  rot!" 

"Do  you  like  being  poor?"  She  challenged  him 
with  her  bright  eyes  on  his  face. 

Algernon  thought  of  the  last  two  months  of  pleas- 
ant novelty  he  had  spent  pedling  with  James  Mor- 
timer Worth.  He  had  not  had  a  worry  on  his  mind 
and  he  was  always  subconsciously  aware  that  he 
had  but  to  telegraph  or  write  his  lawyers,  name  the 
amount  he  wanted  and  it  was  his.  He  nevertheless 
labored  under  the  delusion  that  he  knew  what  it 
meant  to  be  poor. 

"There  are  a  lot  worse  things  than  poverty,"  he 
sneered. 

"You  are  a  man  and  men  miss  half  of  the  trouble 
of  this  world.  Women  get  it  all  in  a  big  lump, 
heaved  right  down  plump  on  top  of  them."  In  her 
voice  was  the  wisdom  of  the  ages,  and  on  her  face 
again  the  passing  shadow  of  greed  and  cupidity. 
She  nodded  once  or  twice,  her  eyes  on  the  road 
ahead  as  if  in  its  dusty  turnings  she  could  see  down 
the  years  of  time  all  that  women  had  suffered  and 
would  suffer.  Then  she  laughed.  "You  should  try 
being  rich  for  a  time.  You  would  not  be  so  sure  of 
the  blessings  of  poverty  afterward.  You  would  see 
i  189 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

all  the  nasty  littleness  of  it  which  you  are  too  near 
now  to  see.  Rich — or  married,  either  will  open  your 
eyes." 

Algernon  blushed  guiltily,  but  she  was  arrang- 
ing the  bundles  on  her  lap  and  did  not  look  up.  "If 
money,"  she  went  on  after  a  moment,  "were  not  as 
far  above  poverty  as  a  king  above  a  slave,  as  a 
woman  above  a  man,  why  has  everybody  since  the 
world  began  taken  their  hats  off  to  it?" 

"Everybody  doesn't,"  protested  Algernon. 

"The  majority  do,  Joe,  and  you  know  it." 

"See  here,"  said  Algernon,  "I  can't  argue.  I 
never  could.  Tell  me  what  you  want  me  to  say  and 
I  will  say  it." 

"No  one  can  argue  on  this  subject,"  said  she 
calmly.  "All  have  to  agree  with  me." 

"All  don't,"  returned  Algernon.  "The  majority 
may.  I  don't  deny  it.  But  that's  because  the  major- 
ity don't  look  at  it  in  the  right  way.  They  look  on 
it  as  nothing  but  a  burden  and  forget  that  it  is  really 
an  incentive — " 

"To  suicide,"  said  she.   "No,  they  don't  forget." 

"An  incentive  to  live,  to  work — "  protested  Al- 
gernon. 

"You  can  work  the  best  horse  to  death,"  she  re- 
plied tersely,  "and  so  you  can  humans." 


ENDEARING   YOUNG    CHARMS 

"I  know.  That's  where  people  make  a  mistake  by 
not  taking  poverty  easier,  slower.  They  have  got 
to  be  rich  to-morrow  or  they  won't  play.  They 
ought  to  take  time,  work  and  rest." 

"You  can't  rest  much,  Joe,  when  you  are  poverty- 
stricken.  I  should  think  you  would  know  that." 

"But  you  can  rest  some,  Molly.  Sundays,  people 
can  go  to  the  country  and  lie  in  the  grass  and  dream 
and  make  plans  and  smoke." 

"With  the  rain  falling  steadily,"  said  she,  "and 
the  ground  soaked  through." 

"It  doesn't  rain  every  Sunday,  Molly." 

"Every  Sunday  you  plan  to  go  anywhere,  it  does. 
Besides,  what  about  car  fare?" 

"That  wouldn't  be  more  than  twenty  cents,  any- 
way," argued  Algernon.  "You  could  take  the  sub- 
way to  the  park." 

"That  would  only  take  a  man,  his  wife  and  two 
children  out  there.  What  would  bring  them  back? 
And  there  are  generally  more  than  two  children. 
And,  then,  too,  what  would  they  do  about  lunch? 
The  children  would  get  hungry — " 

"But  great  Scot,  Molly,  I'm  not  talking  about 
Brigham  Young  and  his  progeny!" 

"That's  just  my  point.  You're  talking  about  a 
bachelor,  and  no  bachelor  is  poverty-stricken." 

191 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"I  don't  see  how  you  make  that  out,"  protested 
Algernon. 

"You  will  when  you  are  married,"  said  she. 

"When  I  am  married,  I  may  have  poverty,  but 
I'll  have  love,  too,"  declared  Algernon. 

"Not  for  long,"  she  sneered.  "Unless  you  get 
money,  too." 

Algernon's  jaws  snapped.  "Hang  money,"  said 
he.  "That's  why  poverty  is  so  hard  on  people.  They 
are  thinking  of  money,  money  all  the  time  and  so 
don't  give  themselves  a  chance  to  get  any  fun  out  of 
poverty." 

"Fun  out  of  poverty,"  she  laughed.  "Water  out 
of  a  stone." 

"Elijah  or  Moses  or  Job,  one  of  those  old  ducks, 
got  water  out  of  a  rock,"  said  Algernon.  "They  had 
the  brains,  that's  why." 

"If  your  brains  were  as  effective  as  his,  whoever 
did  it,  they  would  bring  you  in  money,"  said  she, 
"and  then  you  wouldn't  be  poverty-stricken." 

Algernon  tried  to  look  under  the  big  hat,  laugh- 
ing. "Money,  money,  money,  is  that  your  one  re- 
frain, Molly?"  he  asked. 

The  girl  shrugged.  "You  try  money  for  a  time 
and  you  won't  be  so  joyful  over  the  thought  of  the 
wild  hilarity  you  can  get  out  of  poverty.  You  will 

192 


ENDEARING    YOUNG    CHARMS 

have  as  big  a  kick  coming  as  I  have.  And  I  am  go- 
ing to  kick  so  hard  I  won't  have  any  more  of  it  if 
I  can  help.  Joe,  I  wonder  what  you  would  say  if 
you  knew  what  I  am  trying  to  get." 

"I  know  what  you  are  trying  to  get,"  returned 
Algernon  quietly.  "But  I  don't  see  how  you  are 
going  to  do  it,  unless  you  explain  things  to  him." 

Molly  blushed  and  shook  her  head.  "Confession, 
like  medicine,"  said  she,  "should  only  be  taken 
after  meals." 

"Even  then  it's  apt  to  gag  if  it's  too  big  a  dose," 
said  Algernon  grimly. 

The  car  was  barely  creeping  along  the  sun-kissed 
highway,  the  sound  of  its  engines  drowned  in  the 
shrill  hum  of  the  crickets  in  the  fields  on  either  side 
of  the  road.  Molly  had  forgotten  the  fact  that  the 
present  conversation  was  anything  exceptional, 
that  she  and  Algernon  were  comparative  strang- 
ers and  Algernon  had  made  his  first  appearance  in 
an  informal  way  that  was  unusual,  to  say  the  least. 

She  laughed  now  a  bit  angrily.  Arguments  with 
one's  conscience  were  bad  enough  without  being 
forced  to  have  one  with  a  long-legged  good-looking 
boy  whose  eyes  she  for  some  reason  preferred  to 
avoid.  "Joe,"  she  teased,  trying  to  lighten  the  sub- 
ject, "should  I  be  too  big  a  dose?" 

193 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"I  shouldn't  want  you  to  play  with  my  love, 
Molly,  as  if  it  were  a  jig-saw  puzzle." 

"But  my  love  is  true,  Joe — for  his  money." 

Algernon  grunted  and  said  nothing  for  some 
time,  his  eyes  on  the  road  before  him.  She  glanced 
at  him  now  and  then  from  under  the  brim  of  her 
big  hat,  and  once,  as  Algernon  turned  suddenly  to 
look  at  her,  their  glances  met  and  they  laughed. 

"What  do  you  plan  to  do?"  asked  Algernon. 
"Have  him  run  away  with  you?" 

She  nodded.    "I  shall  tell  him  it  is  a  joke,  Joe." 

"A  joke!  I  hardly  see  the  humor  in  it  He  will 
think  you  love  him  and  when  he  comes  to  his 
senses — " 

"He  will  be  married  to  me,"  and  she  laughed 
gaily,  to  hide  her  vexation. 

"How  can  you  square  yourself  with  him  after- 
ward?" 

"The  same  as  so  many  of  you  men  do  who  marry 
girls  for  their  money." 

"Not  men,"  contradicted  Algernon.  "An  expen- 
sive suit  of  clothes  and  a  high  silk  hat,  that's  all,  a 
bit  upholstered,  probably,  but  no  man  about  it." 

He  looked  down  at  her  as  she  sat  beside  him  and 
his  heart  was  full  of  a  pitying  tenderness.  She  was 
scarcely  more  than  a  girl,  and  yet  in  her  eyes  and 

194 


on  her  mouth  were  the  bitterness  and  hardness  left 
by  a  woman's  unequal  struggle  hand  to  hand  for 
her  own  existence. 

"Don't  do  it,  Molly,"  he  said  gently.  "I  would 
hate  to  have  a  woman  play  so  lightly  with  my  love." 

"Bah !"  said  she.  "I  shall  be  a  good  wife  to  him. 
I  am  doing  him  no  wrong  if  he  loves  me  as  he  will 
say  he  does." 

"You  are  wronging  yourself,  Molly." 

"Not  seriously,  exchanging  an  unstable  salary  for 
an  allowance  five  times  as  big,  out  of  which  I  shan't 
have  to  pay  for  board,  lodging  or  wash." 

"There  it  is  again,  money.  It  obscures  your  whole 
horizon,  Molly." 

"It  won't,  when  I  have  it,"  said  she. 

Algernon  shrugged.  "I  never  was  a  good  hand 
at  ethics,"  said  he.  "Right  and  wrong  depend 
mostly  on  the  point  of  view  from  which  you  hap- 
pen to  see  them,  but  somehow,  from  my  point  of 
view,  it  doesn't  seem  right  to  juggle  with  your  own 
honor  and  decency  like  that,  Molly." 

She  faced  him  through  half-shut  angry  eyes.  "I 
am  in  your  power,"  she  snapped.  "You  can  tell  him 
everything." 

"It's  not  my  funeral,"  muttered  Algernon.  "Only 
— money  may  be  a  good  thing,  little  girl,  but  which- 

195 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

ever  way  you  look  at  it,  it  only  takes  us  to  the  sub- 
way of  eternity,  after  all.  Decency  is  the  only  ticket 
that  will  see  us  through  the  whole  way.  Give  your- 
self a  show  for  the  last  grand  change  of  cars,  I  say." 

"You  are  a  fool,"  said  the  girl  shortly. 

Algernon  shrugged. 

"I  am  not  wronging  him  any.  How  am  I?  Tell 
me  if  you  can." 

Algernon  shook  his  head.    "I  can't" 

"You  would  have  me  condemned  to  poverty  all 
my  life  that  he  might  not  have  his  love  fooled  with, 
his  tender  passion."  Her  voice  was  low  and  intense 
and  now  and  again  it  broke.  She  was  nothing  but  a 
girl  with  a  girl's  ceaseless  longing  for  youth  and 
beauty  and  gaiety,  for  pretty  clothes  and  dainty 
surroundings,  a  girl  worn  out  with  the  endless 
struggle  merely  to  keep  respectable  and  be  neatly 
dressed.  "You  men  are  at  the  bottom  of  all  our 
troubles.  If  you  were  decent,  we  might  be.  You 
don't  ask  for  anything  in  a  woman  but  inanity,  fool- 
ish giggles  and  pretty  clothes.  A  woman  looks  for 
more  in  a  man  than  clothes  and  good  looks,  but  a 
man  never  looks  for  more  in  a  woman.  To  hold  our 
own,  we  have  to  be  silly,  have  to  dress  as  well  as 
possible.  You  make  vanity  an  absolute  necessity 
with  us.  Marriage  is  a  woman's  life,  and  to  be 

196 


ENDEARING    YOUNG    CHARMS 

married,  she  has  to  care  terribly  about  her  clothes. 
Don't  you  see  how  the  supply  always  answers  the 
demand?  We  make  ourselves  silly  and  pretty,  be- 
cause you  men  demand  it.  Don't  you  see?  If  Han- 
cock cares  so  little  for  me  that  his  love  can't  survive 
my  confessing  the  fact  that  I  am  an  O'Toole  and  not 
a  Todd,  though  my  face  is  the  same  and  my  charac- 
ter is  the  same,  then  he  won't  suffer  very  much." 

They  were  near  the  gates  of  Castle  Crags. 
Through  the  trees  they  could  see  the  stables  and 
farther  on  catch  glimpses  of  the  chimneys  and  ga- 
bles of  the  house  itself.  Algernon  kept  his  eyes  on 
the  wheel  and  said  nothing. 

"Don't  you  see?"  she  asked  sharply. 

"Yes,"  said  Algernon,  "I  see.  He  would  be  a  cad 
if  he  threw  you  over.  But  you  are  such  a  cynic, 
Molly.  I  should  think,  believing  as  you  do,  that  you 
would  hate  to  take  the  chances  of  a  man  not  being 
a  cad." 

"You  would  have  me  give  up  all  hopes  of  this" — 
with  a  gesture  embracing  her  clothes,  the  car,  the 
wide  gates  and  the  pleasant  vista  of  winding  drive- 
ways and  well-kept  lawns —  "for  the  questionable 
possibility  of  discovering  that  another  man  is  a  cad. 
Stop  the  car  and  let  us  argue  this  out.  Stop  the  car, 
I  say." 

197 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

Algernon  reddened  uncomfortably,  but  he  stopped 
the  car,  more  to  give  her  time  to  regain  her  self- 
control  than  from  any  intention  of  arguing  it  out 
with  her. 

"Do  what  you  want,  Molly,"  said  he.  "It's  too 
fine  a  point  for  my  intellect  to  solve.  I  am  not  go- 
ing to  say  a  word.  I  do  not  even  know  what  is  right 
in  the  matter.  I  never  could  divide  a  hair  'twixt 
south  and  southwest  side." 

"If  you  think  it  is  wrong,  and  hold  your  tongue, 
now  that  you  know  my  crimes,  you  are  as  bad  as  I 
am.  You  are  an  accessory  after  and  before  the  act." 

"I  want  to  be  bad,"  said  Algernon  cheerfully.  "It 
will  be  a  change.  I  was  afraid  I  was  becoming  eth- 
ically original." 

"You  are  certainly  becoming  a  fool,  if  you  are 
not  already  one,"  snapped  the  girl. 

"You  flatter  me,"  murmured  Algernon. 

"I  do,  indeed.  Go  on.  I  am  sick  of  this  discus- 
sion. I  shall  do  as  I  like." 

As  they  drew  up  at  the  terrace  steps,  the  parlor 
maid  came  to  the  door  and  called  out  cheerfully 
that  Mr.  Hancock  had  come  in  the  motor-boat  and 
said  he  would  be  waiting  down  at  the  wharf  for 
Mrs.  Todd  when  she  returned.  Molly  nodded  and 
let  Algernon  help  her  from  the  car. 

198 


ENDEARING    YOUNG    CHARMS 

He  gathered  up  her  bundles  to  take  them  to  the 
house,  but  she  insisted  on  carrying  them  herself, 
and  as  he  laid  them  in  her  arms,  he  whispered  to 
her  not  to  forget  the  papers. 

"Publicity  will  spoil  your  plan  hopelessly,  Molly," 
he  warned  her.  "Don't  let  there  be  too  much  gossip 
until  you  pull  the  thing  off." 

"This  is  my  plan,"  returned  the  girl  coldly,  "mine, 
do  you  understand?  I  do  not  care  to  have  it  in- 
terfered with." 

Algernon  discreetly  touched  his  cap,  climbed  into 
the  car  and  drove  to  the  garage.  His  policy  with 
his  mother's  sex  was  always  to  retreat  if  possible, 
if  not  to  yield,  gracefully  and  at  once. 

"There  was  a  time,"  said  he  to  the  yaller  pup, 
"when  I  thought  I  understood  women.  But  now — 
you  live  and  learn,  pupsie."  He  shook  his  head 
whimsically  and  gently  pulled  the  pup's  short  rough 
ears. 

The  shadows  were  growing  long,  reaching  across 
the  beach  to  the  water's  edge.  Algernon  lay  on  the 
sand,  his  back  against  a  rock.  Before  him  stretched 
the  ocean,  on  and  on,  to  the  far  horizon.  His  sloop, 
slim  and  graceful,  rose  and  fell  in  the  quiet  waters 
of  the  little  cove  as  if  beckoning  him  to  come  and 

199 


open  the  closed  cabin,  unfurl  the  long  idle 
sails  and  go  to  seek  the  never  found  land  of  perfect 
content,  over  the  sea,  in  the  soft  pink  clouds  of  the 
afterglow.  Behind  him  were  the  woods,  swaying 
in  the  evening  breeze,  whispering,  mysterious,  filled 
with  the  scent  of  ferns,  evergreens  and  rich  dark 
soil  in  virgin  sweetness.  But  for  the  dog  at  his 
feet  and  a  few  sea-gulls,  winging  their  way  across 
the  sunset  sky,  Algernon  was  alone.  The  only  sounds 
were  the  sobbing  of  the  ocean  and  the  dismal  wail 
of  the  bell-buoy. 

:  "I  suppose  you  think  me  terrible,"  said  the  clear 
sweet  voice  of  her  of  whom  he  was  thinking. 

Algernon  jumped  up.  She  had  crossed  the  sands 
unheard  and  was  standing  a  few  feet  away,  looking 
at  him  like  a  naughty  child,  mischievous,  and  withal 
wistful.  She  wore  no  hat,  but  a  large  fluffy  parasol, 
aslant  over  one  shoulder,  threw  into  relief  her  head 
with  its  crown  of  black  hair.  It  was  raised  now, 
with  small  square  chin  up-tilted,  and  saucy  eyes  half 
veiled  under  long  silky  lashes. 

"I  suppose  you  think  me  terrible,"  she  repeated. 
"But  you  are  not  so  good  yourself,  Joe." 

Algernon  laughed  and  swept  her  a  low  bow. 
"Come  and  sit  down  and  tell  me  how  it  feels  to  have 
a  guilty  conscience,"  said  he. 

200 


ENDEARING    YOUNG    CHARMS 

She  dropped  him  a  mocking  little  curtsy.  "Thank 
you.  I  was  afraid  you  thought  I  had  no  con- 
science." 

"You  would  rather  have  a  guilty  conscience  than 
none?" 

"Wouldn't  you  ?" 

"I  can't  say.     I  have  none." 

"Poor  Joe,"  said  she.  She  walked  to  the  water's 
edge  and  stood  a  moment  watching  the  waves  slip 
softly  up  the  sand  nearly  to  her  white  shoes.  The 
pup  ran  to  her  and  she  bent  and  patted  his  little 
head.  He  leaped  away,  joyfully  awkward,  picked 
up  a  stick  and  tore  up  the  beach  with  it  to  Algernon. 
She  laughed  and  followed  him. 

"We  were  out  all  the  morning,"  said  she,  closing 
the  parasol  and  poking  a  stone  out  of  sight  into  the 
deep  sand.  "Oh,  Joe,  it's  good  to  be  rich,  just 
rich." 

She  sank  down  on  the  sand,  pulling  her  skirts 
away  from  the  over-affectionate  dog  and  making 
room  for  Algernon  beside  her.  "I  love  to  play  the 
grand  dame.  For  four  years  I  have  struggled  and 
struggled,  typist,  stenographer,  housekeeper.  Now 
I  have  my  chance  and  I  am  going  to  make  the  most 
of  it."  She  nodded  and  her  mouth  closed  firmly. 
She  jabbed  a  hole  in  the  sand  at  her  feet  and  then 

201 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

turned  to  him  suddenly.  "Tell  me,  Joe,  what  have 
you  done?" 

"To-day,  yesterday  or  last  year?"  asked  Alger- 
non. 

"Why  did  you  leave  New  York?  You  said  some- 
thing about  a  confession  when  I  was  foolish  enough 
to  give  you  mine,  that  day  on  the  sloop." 

"Let's  talk  about  you,"  hedged  Algernon.  "It's 
more  interesting." 

"Not  to  me.  I  know  all  about  myself — and  so  do 
you.  .  You  have  the  advantage  of  me.  I  do  not  know 
anything  about  you  at  all." 

"There  is  nothing  to  know.  Nothing  but  the  same 
old  story  in  the  same  old  way.  I  am  not  original. 
You  are.  Let's  talk  about  you." 

She  leaned  over  and  gave  his  arm  a  tender  little 
pat,  a  world  of  kindness  in  her  changeable  eyes. 
"Poor  old  Joe !  I  know.  It  is  something  bigger, 
stronger  than  ourselves  that  makes  us  all  go  wrong. 
It  is  life,  Joe,  that's  what  it  is.  The  man  who  is 
strong  enough  to  resist  life  is  a  saint.  We  others — 
are  like  you  and  me."  She  threw  out  her  hand 
with  the  little  gesture  he  had  grown  to  look  for. 

Algernon  turned  sidewise,  his  elbow  on  a  rock, 
his  head  on  his  hand,  and  picking  up  a  stick,  drew  a 
figure  in  the  sand  between  them.  Her  tender  sym- 

202 


ENDEARING    YOUNG    CHARMS         \. 

pathy  was  sweet,  but  he  could  not  meet  her  eyes. 
He  felt  too  much  like  a  sneak.  She  looked  wistfully 
at  the  bent  head  with  the  sandy  hair,  smooth,  save 
where  his  fingers  ran  through  it  and  rumpled  it  up 
as  he  supported  his  head,  and  wished,  she  knew  not 
why,  that  he  respected  her  more.  Then  she  smiled, 
a  tiny  flicker  of  amusement,  understanding  and  com- 
passion. 

"Wait  until  I  am  Mrs.  John  Hancock  and  then 
see  what  I  do  for  you,"  said  she. 

Algernon  looked  up  and  in  his  mild  gray  eyes 
was  an  expression  she  in  her  turn  could  not  meet. 
Steadily  he  looked  at  her  and  she  slowly  turned 
her  head  and  gazed  seaward  toward  the  distant 
buoy,  rising  and  falling,  a  mere  speck  on  the  water. 

"Well?"  said  she. 

"Don't  sell  yourself,  Molly,"  said  he  quietly.  He 
reached  over  and  laid  his  hand  gently  on  the  two 
hands  she  had  clasped  over  the  stick  of  her  parasol. 

"What  have  I  done  for  the  last  four  years?"  she 
asked  coldly.  "Have  I  not  practically  sold  myself? 
Was  any  moment  of  my  waking  hours  mine?  And 
think  of  the  wages  I  got !  In  my  new  job,  at  least,  I 
shall  receive  my  money's  worth."  She  shrugged 
her  shoulders  and  jabbed  angrily  at  the  sand  with 
the  point  of  her  parasol. 

203 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"We  have  all  got  to  work  in  this  world,"  said  Al- 
gernon; "some  for  daily  bread  and  some  for 
amusement.  Work  is  a  law  of  the  universe  and  not 
a  sign  of  bondage." 

"Folderol,  Joe.  You  don't  believe  that  yourself. 
Algernon  Van  Rensellear  Todd  never  did  any 
work." 

"Yes,  he  did,"  said  Algernon,  turning  his  atten- 
tion quickly  to  the  sand  again. 

"What  do  you  know  about  him?  I  only  saw  him 
once  in  the  dark,  and  you  make  me  think  of  him, 
Joe;  I  don't  know  why.  But  I  have  heard  things 
about  him  and  I  know  he  never  worked,  not  even 
for  amusement.  Amusement  was  amusement  to  him 
and  not  work." 

"You  don't  know  what  he  is  doing  now." 

"No,  but  I  know  that  whatever  it  is  it  is  not  work. 
Believe  me." 

"Oh,  rot!" 

"I've  got  you  there,  Joe."  She  laughed  gaily  and 
held  out  a  slim  hand,  white  and  well-cared  for. 
"Help  me  up,  please.  It  is  nearly  dinner-time.  We 
have  dinner  at  six,  you  know,  so  the  servants  can 
have  their  evenings.  Such  a  bore!"  she  drawled 
with  gentle  affectation. 

He  helped  her  to  her  feet  and  picked  up  his  hat, 
204 


ENDEARING    YOUNG    CHARMS 

shaking  the  sand  'from  it,  while  she  shook  her  skirts 
and  the  dog  rushed  around  them  joyously,  glad  to 
be  going  again. 

"Do  you  really  think  I  act  as  if  I  were  used  to 
money  ?"  she  asked,  as  they  started  up  the  beach  to- 
gether. "I  shall  practise  on  you  the  airs  and  graces 
of  the  coming  Mrs.  John — " 

"For  goodness'  sake,  Molly,  don't  call  yourself 
that,"  he  begged. 

"And  why  not?"  she  asked.  "Don't  you  think 
I  am  worthy  of  being  his  wife?" 

"No,  Molly,  for  you  don't  care  for  him.  If  you 
did,  I  wouldn't  say  a  word." 

"How  do  you  know  I  don't?"  she  asked. 

"I  hope  you  don't,"  he  muttered,  standing  aside 
to  hold  back  the  low  branches  that  she  might  enter 
the  path  through  the  woods.  Molly  blushed  but 
said  nothing,  nor  did  she  look  at  him. 

The  path  was  too  narrow  for  them  to  walk  side 
by  side.  In  silence  she  lead  the  way  and  he  fol- 
lowed. He  noted  the  way  she  carried  her  head,  the 
ease  and  grace  with  which  she  walked,  and  he  told 
himself  that  she  was  all  he  knew  her  to  be,  no  matter 
what  she  said,  no  matter  what  her  past  or  however 
shady  the  present  seemed  to  be.  She  was  true  and 
sweet  and  womanly  and  would  eventually  go  where 

205 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

love  and  honor  pointed  and  not  barter  herself  for 
the  sake  of  money. 

At  the  edge  of  the  lawn  she  turned  to  him. 

"You  are  terribly  young,  Joe,"  said  she,  her  long 
lashes  veiling  the  look  in  her  glorious  eyes.  "Good 
night." 


CHAPTER  X 
A  WOMAN'S  JOKE 

THE  next  morning  Algernon,  as  usual,  over- 
slept, and  fearful  lest  Molly  have  her  swim 
without  him,  or  find  Holmes  on  the  beach  and  go 
away,  he  hastily  donned  his  suit,  draped  himself 
in  the  toga-like  blanket  and  hurried  to  the  little  cove 
through  the  pine  fragrant,  woodland  path.  It  was 
a  damp  foggy  morning  and  the  waves  rolled  up 
the  beach  from  under  a  cheerless  canopy  of  gray. 
The  sloop,  dimly  discernible,  rocked  and  danced  in 
protest  at  its  idleness,  and  from  beyond  the  head- 
land's .point,  the  sea-gulls  wheeled  and  floated. 
Molly's  cloak  and  slippers  were  lying  at  the  foot  of 
a  rock,  but  Molly  herself  was  nowhere  to  be  seen. 
Algernon  peered  eagerly  at  the  dim  outlines  of  the 
sloop,  growing  clearer  in  the  lifting  fog,  but  could 
not  see  on  the  swaying  deck  the  slim  young  figure 
in  the  faded  blue  suit,  with  the  tumbled  wind- 
blown hair,  and  a  stifling  fear,  cold,  benumbing, 
gripped  his  heart.  The  waves,  rolling  high,  looked 
cruel  and  relentless.  What  mercy  could  they  have 

207 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

on  a  girl  who  loved  them  well  and  in  her  love  was 
fearless  ?  Maybe  she  was  there  on  the  deck  and  the 
fog  concealed  her.  Damn  the  fog!  Maybe — no, 
that  other  supposition  could  not  be.  The  fog  hid  her 
from  his  sight ;  that  was  all,  that  must  be  all. 

Hastily  throwing  aside  his  blanket,  he  plunged 
in  and  swam  out  to  the  sloop,  driven  by  a  nameless 
fear  straight  through  each  swell,  head  half  buried 
in  the  water.  The  way  was  interminable,  endless. 
Once  he  paused  a  moment  and  glanced  up  toward 
the  sloop,  but  he  was  too  low  to  see  more  than  its 
outlines.  If  she  were  there  .  .  .  she  must  be 
there  .  .  .  she  was  there  ...  he  would  not  be 
able  to  see  her  unless  he  was  leaning  against  the 
railing.  She  was  resting  in  the  shelter  of  the  cabin. 
She  must  be.  She  had  swum  in  this  cove  all  sum- 
mer by  herself  and  nothing  had  happened.  Cramps? 
No,  no,  no.  She  never  had  cramps,  and  if  she  did 
have  them,  she  would  have  been  washed  ashore  long 
before.  Not  if  caught  in  the  undertow  and  swept 
out  to  sea.  But  she  didn't  have  cramps.  She  didn't. 
Would  he  never  get  there!  He  reached  the  sloop 
at  last  and  clambered  on  board. 

It  was  empty,  deserted,  with  its  bare  masts  and 
tightly  fastened,  nailed-up  cabin.  She  wasn't  there, 
yet  on  the  beach  were  her  slippers  and  cloak. 

208 


A    WOMAN'S    JOKE 

For  a  moment  it  seemed  impossible  to  grasp  the 
fact  that  he  alone  stood  on  the  deck.  Dull  with 
despair,  his  face  white,  he  turned  to  scan  the  rocks 
on  either  side  of  the  cove,  remembering  the  day 
she  had  laughed  at  him  from  their  shelter.  But  no 
Lorelei  hailed  him  now  from  their  foam-covered 
crags.  A  sea-gull  wheeled  by  with  its  hoarse  cry 
and  the  bell-buoy  seemed  to  moan  in  anguish,  but 
no  gay  voice  called  to  him  out  of  the  drifting  fog, 
no  slender  figure,  in  clinging  dripping  suit,  waved 
to  him  from  either  headland.  Yet  there  were  her  slip- 
pers and  cloak  in  a  forlorn  little  pile  on  the  beach, 
irrefutable  witnesses  that  she  had  gone  in  swimming. 
Maybe  she  had  seen  Holmes  coming  and  had  wan- 
dered back  into  the  woods  to  wait  until  he  left.  But 
if  she  had  she  would  have  snatched  up  her  slippers 
at  least  and  put  them  on.  She  always  left  them 
as  near  the  water's  edge  as  she  dared  so  she  could 
get  them  as  soon  as  possible,  for  even  the  stones  and 
sticks  on  the  beach  hurt  her  feet.  Besides,  Holmes 
would  have  waited  for  his  namesake,  if  he  had  come. 
Nevertheless,  Algernon  once  again  scanned  the  dis- 
tant shore,  eagerly,  hopefully,  miserably.  But  the 
small  pebble-strewn  beach  was  as  deserted  as  the 
sloop,  as  the  rocks  and  headlands,  as  the  whole 
dreary  monotonous  interminable  sea. 

209 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

The  vacuum  of  despair  settled  on  Algernon  and 
he  stood  a  moment  with  white  drawn  face,  forgetful 
of  everything,  the  search  that  must  be  made  for  the 
body,  the  relatives  to  be  looked  up  and  notified, 
mindful  only  of  the  terrible  ghastly  emptiness  of 
the  sea,  the  heavens  above  and  the  earth  beneath, 
the  unfathomable  dreariness  of  nothing. 

"Ship  ahoy!" 

Algernon  turned,  knees  shaking  with  the  sudden 
shock  of  hearing  that  gay  irresponsible  girlish  con- 
tralto hailing  him  from  the  farther  side  of  the  sloop. 
Motionless  with  the  sudden  rush  of  relief,  he  stared 
over  the  roof  of  the  tiny  cabin  at  Molly,  clinging 
with  one  wet  shapely  arm  flung  over  the  brass  rail- 
ing that  ran  the  length  of  the  deck.  Slowly  the 
misery  of  the  moment  before  seemed  to  lift,  his 
heart  began  to  beat  again  and  the  blood  returned 
to  his  white  face,  while  his  clenched  hands  relaxed 
and  his  knees  seemed  to  give  from  under  him.  He 
walked  over  to  her  coldly  and  grimly  drew  her  on 
deck. 

"Where  have  you  been?"  he  demanded  sternly, 
angrily,  in  the  rush  of  overwhelming  joy. 

"I  saw  you  coming,"  said  she,  smiling  at  him 
through  her  wet  hair,  his  hands  on  her  shoulders, 

210 


A    WOMAN'S    JOKE 

"so  I  slipped  over  the  edge  and  hung  to  the  an- 
chor chain  to  fool  you." 

But  Algernon  did  not  smile.  He  stared  grimly  a 
moment,  then  turned  and  sat  down  on  the  roof  of 
the  cabin,  drawing  up  his  knees  and  clasping  them 
with  his  arms,  his  back  to  the  culprit. 

"Your  joke,"  said  he  gravely,  "was  a  complete 
success." 

She  looked  at  him  in  surprise,  hesitating  where 
he  had  left  her,  hands  raised  to  push  the  wet  hair 
from  her  laughing  eyes. 

"I  didn't  mean  to  make  you  angry,"  said  she, 
drawing  nearer. 

"Oh,  no,"  said  Algernon,  not  looking  around  at 
where  she  stood  in  wet  and  graceful  penitence  be- 
hind him.  "You  didn't  make  me  angry.  It  filled 
me  with  wild  joy.  I  thought  you  had  been  drowned, 
that's  all.  Quite  a  pleasure,  really  enjoyable.  An- 
other joke  like  that  will  take  twenty  years  from  my 
life." 

Her  eyes  danced,  but  her  voice  was  grave  and  re- 
morseful. "Please  forgive  me." 

"I  shall  forgive  you,"  returned  Algernon  coldly, 
sternly,  "but  you  are  never  to  do  it  again." 

"Indeed,  I  won't." 

211 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"And  you  are  never  to  go  in  swimming  here  alone 
again  until  I  come." 

"I  have  swum  every  summer  all  my  life,"  said  she 
mildly. 

"I  can  not  help  that,"  said  Algernon.  "I  didn't 
know  it  or  it  would  never  have  happened." 

His  tone  was  one  of  parental  disapproval  and  au- 
thority. Molly  flushed. 

"I  have  always  done  it.  There  is  no  harm.  I 
am  a  good  swimmer." 

Algernon  rose.  "It  is  dangerous,"  said  he  with 
the  same  calm  authority,  "and  you  must  never  do  it 
again."  He  turned  and  regarded  her  gently,  half 
amused,  half  angry  still,  as  she  stood  swaying  grace- 
fully with  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  sloop,  her  slim 
legs  parted  to  steady  herself,  her  hands  still  raised 
to  her  hair,  her  eyes  bright  and  her  cheeks  flushed. 
"A  woman's  idea  of  a  joke,"  said  he,  mildly  again, 
half  smiling,  "is  as  hard  to  understand  as  the  riddle 
of  the  Sphinx." 

"The  riddle  was  solved  though,"  said  she. 
"Maybe  a  woman's  joke  is  the  same,  a  man." 

She  regarded  him  gravely,  with  big,  innocent, 
childish  eyes  and  not  a  quiver  of  the  sweet  mouth. 

Algernon  felt  vaguely  that  maybe  she  meant  more 
than  she  said,  but  there  was  not  even  the  suspicion 

212 


A    WOMAN'S   JOKE 

of  a  smile  in  her  eyes  or  on  her  mouth  and  he  de- 
cided wisely  to  ignore  all  hidden  meanings.  "Pla- 
card your  jokes  after  this,"  said  he  quizzically,  "be- 
fore you  spring  them." 

"I  shall,"  said  she. 

"And  then  don't  spring  them,"  said  Algernon. 

"Maybe  it  would  be  better  not  to,"  she  agreed. 

"The  Lord  didn't  make  trouble,"  said  Algernon, 
still  regarding  her,  "neither  did  the  devil.  The 
Lord  made  woman,  knowing  she  would  do  it  more 
capably  than  any  one  else." 

"Men  are  so  helpless,"  she  agreed  again.  "The 
Lord  knew  they  couldn't  make  anything." 

"Let  us  go  back,"  said  Algernon,  deciding  to 
change  the  subject.  "It  is  late." 

"But  we  have  not  swum  at  all,"  protested  the  girl. 

"I  know,"  said  Algernon,  "but  I  have  had  such 
a  pleasant  morning,  I  should  hate  to  spoil  the  mem- 
ory of  it  by  prolonging  it." 

She  glanced  at  his  solemn  face,  still  a  bit  pale, 
and  followed  him  meekly  to  the  edge  of  the  deck, 
diving  when  he  motioned  for  her  to  do  so  and  wait- 
ing for  him  before  striking  out  to  the  beach. 

Neither  spoke  as  they  swam  to  shore.  In  silence 
Algernon  draped  himself  in  his  blanket  and  the  girl 
drew  on  her  slippers  and  cloak.  She  glanced  at  him 

213 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

now  and  then,  amused  and  repentant,  but  his  face 
discouraged  conversation  and  with  the  wisdom  of 
her  sex,  she  said  nothing. 

"Remember,"  said  Algernon  sternly,  as  they  came 
to  the  parting  of  the  ways,  "you  are  to  wait  for  me 
to-morrow." 

"But—" 

"There  is  no  but.  It  is  not  right  for  a  woman  to 
go  in  swimming  here  alone  and  I  can  not  permit 
you  to  do  so." 

"I  shall  wait,"  said  she  mildly.     "Good-by." 

About  ten  she  called  him  up  on  the  telephone  and 
ordered  one  of  the  cars  brought  around  at  once.  Her 
voice  had  the  well-bred  coolness  of  a  great  lady  to 
her  inferior  and  Algernon  chuckled  as  he  hung  up 
the  receiver. 

"Molly  puts  mama  all  to  the  bad,"  he  thought, 
"when  it  comes  to  the  real  thing.  The  trouble  with 
mama  is  that  she  has  had  servants  so  long  she  has 
grown  into  the  habit  of  speaking  to  them  as  if  they 
were  human." 

"I  am  going  to  learn  to  drive  a  car." 

Molly  stood  on  the  top  step  of  the  terrace,  pulling 
on  her  gloves  as  the  car  rolled  up.  She  nodded 
with  gay  determination  and  smiled  down  at  Al- 
gernon. 

214 


A    WOMAN'S   JOKE 

The  fog  had  gone  and  the  sun  shone  with  un- 
diminished  luster  on  the  sweep  of  the  lawn,  the 
huge  gray  house  and  the  girlish  figure  standing  on 
the  stone  steps  of  the  ivy-covered  terrace.  The 
bees  buzzed  incessantly  and  a  little  breeze,  ladened 
with  the  scent  of  the  sea,  wandered  by,  scarcely 
stirring  the  veil  around  the  girl's  dainty  hat  She 
fastened  the  button  of  her  glove  and  then  glanced  at 
Algernon  and  laughed,  for  no  reason  but  that  the 
day  was  fair,  she  was  young  and  life  was  good. 

The  gardener,  trundling  a  wheelbarrow,  came 
around  the  side  of  the  house  and  stopped  to  wipe 
the  perspiration  from  his  shining  forehead. 

"Warm?"  asked  Molly  sympathetically,  enjoying 
to  the  utmost  the  rare  pleasure  of  seeing  some  one 
else  compelled  to  work  while  she  had  nothing  to  do 
but  keep  cool  and  amuse  herself. 

"Awful,"  said  the  gardener. 

Molly  leaned  forward.  "Timothy,"  said  she, 
"don't  forget  the  tables  and  chairs  that  are  to  be 
moved  to  the  lawn  and  mend  that  summer-house  I 
spoke  to  you  about  yesterday.  It  must  be  done  be- 
fore this  afternoon. 

"Joe,  don't  you  think  I  act  as  if  I  were  used  to 
money?"  she  asked,  turning  to  Algernon  as  they 
rolled  out  of  the  gate  into  the  long  dusty  road. 

215 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"You  certainly  do,"  agreed  Algernon  heartily, 
with  the  charming  ability  to  answer  the  same  ques- 
tion as  many  times  as  it  was  asked  with  the  same 
enthusiasm  each  time. 

"Take  the  upper  road.  I  do  not  want  to  go  near 
the  village  to-day.  I  don't  like  your  Mr.  Patter- 
son. I  saw  him  hanging  around  the  rocks  yester- 
day. He  makes  me  nervous.  A  guilty  conscience, 
I  suppose.  I  take  every  strange  youth  I  see  for  Al- 
gernon until  I  am  sure  he  isn't.  But  please  tell  me 
what  you  think,  honestly,  Joe.  Do  I  act  as  if  I 
were  used  to  having  servants?  I  have  been  one  so 
long  myself,  for  a  housekeeper  is  only  an  upper 
servant,  no  matter  how  you  look  at  it,  always  at 
some  one's  beck  and  call,  always  on  the  keen  jump 
to  do  another's  pleasure,  always  afraid  of  displeas- 
ing that  other  and  losing  her  place,  only  a  servant, 
and  I  have  been  one  so  long  I  ought  to  know  by 
this  time  how  to  speak  to  them,  how  I  have  always 
been  spoken  to." 

"You're  all  right,"  declared  Algernon,  vaguely 
worried  about  Holmes.  What  was  he  hanging 
around  for? 

She  glanced  up  and  caught  his  admiring  eyes 
with  just  a  hint  of  amusement  in  their  mild  gray 
depths.  She  blushed  and  turned  away,  staring  be- 

216 


A   WOMAN'S   JOKE 

fore  her  up  the  road,  lying  hot  and  dusty  in  the 
August  sunshine. 

The  little  car  puffed  up  to  the  top  of  a  hill  and 
stopped. 

"Come  and  take  your  first  lesson/'  said  Algernon. 

She  sat  up  straight  and  began  to  undo  her  gloves. 
"I  am  going  to  take  my  gloves  off,"  said  she.  "They 
make  me  feel  warm.  Put  them  in  your  pocket,  will 
you,  Joe?  Thanks.  When  I  become  Mrs.  Hancock 
I  must  be  an  expert."  She  took  hold  of  the  wheel. 
"What  do  I  do  now?" 

Algernon  laid  his  hand  on  hers.  "You  won't  do 
it,  Molly.  I  know,"  said  he,  leaning  forward  to  look 
under  the  brim  of  her  hat  into  her  eyes  of  Irish  blue. 

"Don't  worry  over  Hancock,  Joe,"  said  she  coldly. 
"It  is  no  concern  of  yours  if  he  can't  take  care  of 
himself.  And  I  mean  not  to  let  him,"  she  added. 
"Come,  tell  me  what  to  do.  I  am  the  widow  of  the 
late  Mr.  Todd  and  surely  I  ought  to  know  something 
about  motor-cars." 

"I  know  you  better  than  you  know  yourself," 
declared  Algernon  firmly.  "You  are  not  as  mer- 
cenary as  you  pretend  you  are,  as  you  may  think 
you  are." 

"To  my  way  of  thinking,  mercenary  is  simply  an- 
other word  for  wise,"  returned  Molly  carelessly. 

217 


"Cut  out  the  lecture  on  morals,  dear  boy,  and  begin 
one  on  machines." 

Algernon  squeezed  the  hand  on  which  his  rested 
and  tried  to  look  into  the  averted  eyes.  "All  right, 
dear,"  said  he  softly.  "I  shall  teach  you  and  some 
day,  I  know,  you  will  be  running  one  of  my  cars." 

Molly  flushed  again  and  wished  angrily  that  his 
outspoken  courtship  did  not  arouse  in  her  a  half 
sweet,  half  miserable  longing  for  more.  If  she 
were  only  indifferent  to  him,  it  would  not  be  so  hard 
to  act,  so  hard  to  think  of  marrying  Hancock. 
,  "You  will  be  running  one  of  mine,  you  mean," 
she  laughed,  but  it  was  only  with  her  red  mouth ;  her 
eyes  were  serious  and  troubled,  and  she  withdrew 
her  hand  slowly  from  the  warm  clasp  upon  it.  "I 
shall  still  keep  you  as  chauffeur  even  when  I  am 
married." 

"You  wait,"  boasted  Algernon.  "Love  in  a  cot- 
tage— " 

"Is  the  worst  reason  in  the  world  for  marry- 
ing," said  she.  "It's  not  for  mine,  thank  you." 

Algernon  slipped  his  arm  along  the  back  of  the 
seat  and  turned  sidewise  toward  her.  "I  am  a 
bit  old-fashioned  and  I  dare  to  admit  the  truth, 
where  others,  including  yourself,  madam,  sneer," 
said  he. 

218 


A    WOMAN'S    JOKE 

"The  world  has  grown  wiser,"  she  contested,  nod- 
ding her  head  firmly,  but  careful  to  keep  her  errant 
eyes  away  from  his. 

"Not  wiser,  more  cowardly.  It  doesn't  dare  to 
be  poor.  The  old  adage  is  admitted  to  be  true — " 

"Who  admits  it?     I  don't." 

"In  your  heart  of  hearts  you  do,  along  with  the 
rest  of  the  world.  You  know  you  do.  You  can't 
look  me  in  the  eyes  and  swear  that  you  do  not."  He 
paused,  but  she  only  shook  her  head  in  denial  and  he 
went  on.  "More  cowardly,  I  say,  for  while  the 
world  admits  that  love  without  money  is  better  than 
money  without  love,  it  does  not  dare  to  follow  its 
belief — no  longer  has  the  courage.  Just  life  and 
love  and  simplicity  are  not  enough.  One  must  out- 
shine one's  neighbor  or  what's  the  use  of  living? 
We  must  go  one  better  than  our  neighbor  whether 
we  enjoy  our  neighbor's  specialty  or  not  I  tell 
you,  dear,  people  no  longer  dare  to  live  and  enjoy 
their  own  lives.  They  are  always  peeking  through 
the  window-blind  to  see  if  Jones  or  Brown  or  Smith 
is  duly  appreciative  of  them  and  envying  them. 
What's  style  but  dressing  as  your  neighbor  does  and 
not  necessarily  as  you  want  to?" 

"When  people  talk  about  love  in  a  cottage,"  re- 
turned the  girl,  "they  think  of  only  three  inhabiting 

219 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

the  cottage,  the  man,  the  woman  and  love.  They 
forget  the  fourth." 

"And  what  may  that  be?" 

"Bills." 

Algernon  laughed.  "Simplicity,  child,  does  away 
with  bills." 

"And  with  love — after  a  time." 

"Not  with  the  right  kind  of  love." 

"Any  kind,  but  parental  or  filial.  I  tell  you,  Joe," 
turning  on  him  her  eyes  grave  and  earnest,  her 
hands  clasped  in  her  lap.  "I  know  all  about  it.  I 
am  not  the  usual  girl  of  my  class,  protected  from 
trouble  and  poverty,  ignorant  of  the  world  and  what 
it  means,  this  being  poverty-stricken.  My  employers 
always  grew  fond  of  me  and  made  much  of  me,  but 
I  never  reciprocated.  I  don't  know  why,  except  that 
poverty  is  like  a  lemon-squeezer  to  wring  the  soul 
dry  of  any  of  the  softer  feelings.  And  no  matter 
how  broad-minded  they  were  there  was  always  a 
difference  between  us;  neither  side  could  forget 
that  we  were  simply  employer  and  employed.  It 
is  so,  Joe.  They  thought  they  treated  me  as  they 
did  other  girls,  no  better  born  than  I  am,  no  more 
refined  or  better  educated,  but  they  didn't.  I  earned 
my  living  and  unintentionally,  perhaps,  they  felt 
superior  to  me.  I  know,  I  say,  for  I  have  suffered." 

220 


A    WOMAN'S   JOKE 

"Love,"  said  Algernon  gently,  "endures  all 
things." 

"If  things  can  prove  themselves  worthy." 

"Jove,  Molly,  you  are  cynical!  But  you  know 
that  you  do  not  believe  what  you  say." 

"Cynical?"  she  repeated  questioningly,  and  shook 
her  head.  "No,  I  am  not  cynical.  I  have  simply 
learned  my  lesson  well.  Poverty  is  the  best  teacher 
there  is,  Joe.  You  don't  believe  me,  for  you  are  a 
man  and  unmarried.  Women  always  make  the  best 
pupils,  whether  in  the  school  of  life  or  in  the  gram- 
mar schools  or  colleges.  Women  have  the  most 
conscience,  and  it's  people  with  consciences  that  suf- 
fer most.  I  have  thrown  mine  overboard — years 
ago.  Wait  until  you  are  married  and  then  you  will 
know  more  than  you  do  now.  You  will  suffer 
through  your  wife,  maybe  not  because  of  any  over- 
flowing love  for  her,  but  because  she  will  make  you 
suffer,  whether  you  will  or  no.  She  will  get  after 
you." 

"I  tell  you  one  thing,  Molly.  Poverty  got  a  mighty 
poor  scholar  when  she  got  you." 

"I  have  learned  enough,  thanks.  No  more  for 
me,  if  I  can  help  it."  She  nodded  emphatically  and 
knocked  from  her  lap  a  dry  leaf  brought  there  by  a 
passing  breeze. 

221 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"You've  got  to  stay  in  school  with  me,  dear," 
whispered  Algernon  softly.  "You  won't  play  hooky 
and  leave  me  to  take  the  lickings  alone,  will  you?" 

"Let's  go  home.  I'm  tired  and  the  sun  is  so  hot. 
Joe,  you  are  a  nice  boy,  but  you  are  terribly — " 

"Young,"  said  Algernon.  "But  I  am  growing 
older  every  day,  and  you  are  not  an  octogenarian 
yourself,  yet,  Molly." 

"Not  young,  foolish,"  said  she. 

Algernon  straightened  around  and  took  hold  of 
the  wheel,  turning  the  car  homeward.  "I  would 
rather  have  my  foolishness  than  your  wisdom," 
said  he. 

She  agreed.  "So  should  I.  But  it  is  harder  to 
unlearn  a  fact  than  it  is  to  learn  it.  You  wait  until 
you  are  married  and  then  you  will  begin  to  learn." 

"And  become  a  cynic  like  you,  I  suppose." 

"Assuredly,  dear  boy.  Marriage  and  poverty, 
the  combination  is  merely  a  synonym  for  cynicism." 

"I  want  to  learn,"  declared  Algernon.  "Will  you 
teach  me?"  leaning  toward  her. 

She  did  not  answer.  It  was  very  still  on  the 
country  road,  save  for  the  chuff,  chuff  of  the  car  as 
it  gained  headway  and  the  shrill  chorus  of  the 
crickets  from  the  brown  fields  on  either  side. 

"Molly,"  whispered  Algernon. 
222 


A    WOMAN'S    JOKE 

Suddenly  she  looked  at  him,  the  dimples  coming, 
her  eyes  twinkling  through  their  heavy  lashes. 

"Sir,"  said  she,  "I  am  your  employer.  You  for- 
get yourself." 

"Molly,  Molly,"  he  laughed,  "you  are  hedging 
already." 

She  shook  her  head  whimsically.  "Joe,  you  are 
terribly — " 

"Foolish,"  said  he. 

"Young,"  said  she,  and  discreetly  lowered  her 
eyes. 

Algernon  laughed.     "Molly — " 

"Who  do  you  think  is  coming  to  my  lawn 
party?"  she  interrupted  quickly,  to  change  the 
subject. 

"Everybody,"  said  Algernon  shortly. 

"No,  but  this  person  is  some  one  you  have  never 
seen  before  and  neither  have  I." 

"The  devil,"  suggested  Algernon. 

"Pish,  I've  met  him  lots  of  times.  No,  this  per- 
son is  a  stranger,  just  come  to  town." 

"You  can't  mean  Patterson?"  asked  Algernon  in 
surprise. 

She  laughed  and  shook  her  head.  "No,  indeed. 
Didn't  I  say  you  had  never  seen  him  before?" 

"Tell  me,  please." 

223 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"He's  a  friend  of  Mr.  Hancock's.  They  met  last 
winter  abroad,  it  seems.  Hancock  saw  him  yester- 
day by  chance  as  he  was  going  through  in  his  car 
to  Canada  and  got  him  to  stay  over  a  week  or  two." 

"Who  is  he?"  asked  Algernon  indifferently. 

"A  friend  of  Mr.—" 

"I  know,  but  what  is  his  name?" 

"James  Mortimer  Worth,"  said  she. 

"Oh!"  said  he  faintly. 

"Perhaps  you  know  him,"  she  teased. 

"No,"  said  Algernon,  remembering  James  Mor- 
timer Worth's  stern  decree  that  they  meet  hence- 
forth as  strangers.  "No,  I  don't  know  him." 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  STRANGER 

FROM  North  Brockton's  point  of  view,  the 
lawn  party  was  a  symposium  in  pleasure, 
ranking  second  to  the  Fourth  of  July  and  the  time 
the  president's  yacht  had  steamed  by,  a  good  two 
miles  out  to  sea,  but  visible  through  the  binoculars, 
provided  one  were  not  too  old.  To  Algernon,  be- 
cause of  the  position  he  held,  it  was  an  amusing  ex- 
perience of  an  event  that  heretofore  had  always 
bored  him;  to  Molly  it  was  unendurable,  one  long 
excruciating  agony  of  concealing  mental  torture 
under  a  smiling  mask  of  social  inanity,  a  never-to- 
be-forgotten  nightmare. 

The  day  was  warm,  a  bit  sultry,  with  great  white 
masses  of  tumbling  clouds  drifting  by  slowly  as 
though  propelled  by  their  own  weight,  for  there  was 
hardly  a  breath  of  air.  The  leaves  of  the  vines  cov- 
ering the  house,  which  were  wont  to  ripple  with 
every  passing  breeze  like  the  waves  of  the  sea,  hung 
motionless,  and  the  great  flag  on  its  pole  above  the 
turret,  signifying  the  presence  of  the  lady  of  the 

225 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

manor,  drooped  lifelessly  in  the  heavy  air.  But 
the  lawns  were  like  deep  smooth  velvet,  and  from 
the  Lodge  up  to  the  great  house  the  flower  beds 
were  one  dazzling  riot  of  color.  Golden-glow 
flamed  like  a  bit  of  captured  sunshine  along  the 
dark  green  of  the  hedgerows,  dahlias  of  every  shade 
from  pale  yellow  to  deepest  crimson  nodded  gravely 
at  one  from  behind  beds  of  pansies,  and  phlox,  mari- 
golds, sweet-william  and  tiny  clove  pinks.  Holly- 
hocks stood  in  martial  row  and  nasturtiums  ran  in 
joyous  color  over  each  trellis,  wall  and  rustic  seat, 
while  here  and  there  great  masses  of  sweet  peas 
formed  backgrounds  and  windbreaks  to  blooming 
clusters  of  bachelor's-buttons,  canterbury-bells  and 
dainty  larkspurs,  tall  and  graceful. 

Every  door  and  window  of  the  great  house  was  in- 
vitingly open,  and  within  the  air  was  heavy  with  the 
scent  of  the  enormous  bowls  and  stands  of  flowers 
that  filled  each  room.  On  the  lawn  beneath  the  trees, 
in  every  cozy-corner  and  summer-house  were 
daintily  laid  tables  and  on  the  east  terrace,  overlook- 
ing the  sea,  an  orchestra  of  six  pieces  hired  at  great 
expense  and  trouble  on  Algernon's  advice,  vied  with 
the  booming  of  the  surf  and  the  wailing  cries  of  the 
bell-buoy. 

It  was  early,  when  Molly  in  the  hall,  giving  a  fin- 
226 


THE    STRANGER 

ishing  touch  here  and  there  to  the  flowers,  chanced 
to  glance  out  of  the  window  toward  the  sea  and 
beheld  a  stranger  approaching  the  house  from  the 
direction  of  the  rocks.  Algernon  had  gone  in  the 
car  for  the  first  load  of  guests,  the  servants  were  all 
busy  in  the  kitchen  and  the  orchestra  had  not  yet 
taken  its  place  on  the  terrace.  Wondering  who  the 
man  could  be,  Molly  went  to  the  terrace  steps  and 
watched  him  as  he  strolled  carelessly,  leisurely 
across  the  lawn,  swinging  a  light  stick  with  airy 
nonchalance  and  looking  around  him  with  frank 
curiosity  and  approval.  He  could  be  none  of  the 
townspeople,  Molly  decided,  for  his  clothes  were 
irreproachable,  a  bit  of  Upper  Fifth  Avenue  out  for 
a  summer  walk  in  the  park  between  visits  to  New- 
port and  Bar  Harbor.  He  was  not  Hancock,  and 
surely  not  Hancock's  friend  coming  alone!  Molly 
could  think  of  no  one  who  would  be  so  arrayed 
unless — Algernon  Van  Rensellear  Todd!  The 
stranger  was  tall  and  thin,  and  as  he  drew  nearer, 
the  gfrl  noticed  that  his  suit  was  gray,  the  band  on 
his  expensive  Panama  blue,  and  his  tie  and  silk  socks 
were  of  the  same  pale  shade.  She  recalled  with 
sickening  fear  a  casual  remark  of  Mrs.  Todd's 
about  her  son's  fondness  for  the  combination  of 
gray  and  light  blue. 

22  7, 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"It  has  become  a  pronounced  fad,"  the  lady  had 
declared  with  a  laugh.  "He  has  carried  it  so  far 
now  that  his  yachting  pennant  is  gray  and  blue  and 
so  are  his  racing  colors,  both  horses  and  motors." 

One  glance  at  the  terrace  and  back  of  her  into  the 
hall  showed  Molly  that,  fortunately,  she  was  alone 
and  that  no  one  but  herself  had  seen  the  stranger's 
arrival.  He  drew  nearer  and  she  recognized  him 
with  a  sudden  throb  of  relief  as  Mr.  Patterson,  the 
gentleman  of  the  broken  car.  But  her  relief  was 
short  lived,  for  why,  she  asked  herself  desperately, 
should  Mr.  Patterson  come  to  her  party  uninvited, 
if  he  were,  indeed,  no  one  but  who  he  claimed  to 
be,  and  why,  if  he  were  none  other  than  Mr.  Pat- 
terson, even  if  he  thought  the  fete  a  public  affair 
and  every  one  welcome,  should  he  be  approaching 
by  the  roundabout  way  of  the  rocks?  Controlling 
her  nervous  desire  to  turn  and  fly,  Molly  advanced 
with  her  hand  out  and  a  smile  on  her  dry  lips. 

"How  do  you  do?"  said  she. 

Holmes  grasped  her  small  hand  and  smiled  down 
at  her,  amused,  kindly,  but  frankly  cognizant  of  the 
situation,  coolly  critical.  Molly  felt  her  worst  fears 
were  realized  even  before  he  spoke  in  a  gentle  drawl, 
politely  raising  his  hat. 

"Miss— O'Toole?" 

228 


THE    STRANGER 

Molly  grew  slowly  whiter  and  whiter,  but  her 
wonderful  control  did  not  desert  her  and  she  re- 
turned coolly,  with  a  bit  of  a  bow,  as  one  acknowl- 
edging an  introduction : 

"Yes,  indeed.     Is  this  Mr.  Patterson?" 

"Mr.  Todd,  Algernon  Van  Rensellear  Todd,"  re- 
plied Holmes  with  a  tired  sigh. 

"I  understood  that  you  registered  at  the  hotel  as 
Mr.  Patterson,"  returned  Molly,  looking  straight 
into  his  small  keen  eyes. 

"I  did,"  admitted  Holmes,  and  added  with  a  sig- 
nificant little  smile,  "to  avoid  complications." 

"Complications?"  questioned  the  girl  with  a  deli- 
cate lift  of  her  eyebrows. 

"Complications,"  repeated  Holmes,  "with  my 
mother,  Mrs.  Todd,"  and  he  bowed  again,  smiling  at 
her  in  sneering  amusement. 

On  the  lawn  were  the  many  little  tables  for  the 
coming  feast,  a  few  of  the  musicians  had  straggled 
out  to  the  terrace  and  were  noisily  tuning  their  in- 
struments, while  the  parlor  maid  tripped  by  with  a 
snowy  tray  and  basket  of  tempting  fruit.  It  would 
be  impossible  under  the  circumstances  for  Molly  to 
explain  that  it  was  all  a  joke  to  amuse  herself  in  the 
long  lonely  days  by  letting  the  country  people  inno- 
cently call  her  Mrs.  Todd,  the  name  they  had  given 

229 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

her  upon  her  arrival.  It  was  not  the  duty  of  a 
housekeeper  to  give  a  lawn  party  to  her  mistress' 
neighbors  in  the  mistress'  absence.  But  like  a 
drowning  man  and  a  straw,  the  frightened  girl 
clutched  at  the  faint  hope  that  he  had  allowed  three 
days  to  pass  without  bringing  her  to  account  and 
had  not  signed  his  own  name  to  the  hotel  register 
"to  avoid  complications."  He  might  be  merciful 
and  wait  until  the  party  was  over,  might  even  let 
her  leave  town  without  exposing  her  to  the  idle  curi- 
osity of  the  village,  to  the  wounded  surprise  and 
hurt  pride  of  Hancock.  Mrs.  Todd  had  talked  much 
of  her  son's  good  nature,  of  his  gentleness  and  chiv- 
alry to  women. 

"Come  in,"  said  she  and  turned  to  the  door  me- 
chanically, wondering  why  she  did  not  faint  or  cry 
or  break  down  some  way,  why  her  one  hysterical 
desire  was  to  laugh  and  laugh  and  laugh. 

Holmes  took  another  long  slow  view  of  the  land- 
scape with  the  quiet  air  of  the  proprietor  and  fol- 
lowed her  into  the  great  hall.  There  he  glanced 
around  him  critically,  strolled  to  the  drawing-room 
doors,  looked  in,  did  the  same  by  the  library  and 
dining-room,  and  finally  returned  to  the  table  and 
the  girl,  toying  nervously  with  a  slender  stalk  of 

230 


THE    STRANGER 

sweet  peas  and  watching  him  in  an  agony  of  sus- 
pense. 

"Sit  down,"  said  she,  "and  we  can  talk." 

"See  here,"  said  he  not  unkindly,  laying  his 
hand  on  her  shoulder  with  a  familiarity  the 
wretched  girl  dared  not  resent  at  the  moment  in  the 
faint  hope  that  he  would  be  good  to  her  and  wait 
until  her  guests  departed.  "See  here,  I  want  to  look 
around  a  bit,  quietly.  Suppose  we  wait  until  the 
festivities  are  over  before  we  talk?  I  think  I  hear 
the  first  of  your  guests  coming  now,  and  above  all 
things  I  hate  scenes."  He  smiled  at  her,  amused, 
cynical,  frankly  pleased  with  her  good  looks. 

"Thank  you,"  murmured  Molly,  crushing  the 
flowers  in  her  nervous  fingers  and  longing  to  throw 
them  at  him. 

Holmes  laughed.  "Not  at  all.  I  am  amused,  be- 
lieve me,  and  shall  thoroughly  enjoy  myself  this  aft- 
ernoon— as  I  have  for  the  last  few  days.  Really,  you 
are  a  very  good  understudy  of  mama."  He  patted 
her  shoulder  and  strolled  away  as  a  team  drew  up  at 
the  terrace  steps. 

"Don't  worry  about  me,"  said  he  gaily,  nodding  at 
her  from  the  threshold  of  the  library  door.  "I  shall 
look  around  a  bit  and  probably  go  back  to  the  village 

231 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

early.  Lawn  parties  are  a  bore,  believe  me.  I  shall 
come  again  later,  or  shall  we  put  it  off  until  to-mor- 
row, our  little  talk?  Later,  this  afternoon?  When 
the  last  guest  has  gone?  All  right.  That  suits  me. 
The  servants  will  think  I  simply  lingered  behind  the 
others  and  it's  best  that  they  be  allowed  to  think  so 
for  a  short  time,  anyway.  All  right,  then,  later. 
Don't  forget,  meanwhile,  I  am  Mr.  Patterson." 

He  waved  gaily  to  her  and  strolled  into  the 
library,  humming  a  bit  of  a  tune.  There  were  loud 
awed  voices  without  and  steps  approaching  the  door 
across  the  terrace.  Crushed  with  gratitude  at  Todd's 
forbearance,  Molly  turned  for  one  last  miserable 
glance  at  her  flushed  face  in  the  tall  pier  glass  be- 
tween the  windows,  jerked  the  beads  around  her 
neck  straight,  tucked  a  wayward  curl  in  place  and 
went  out  to  greet  the  first  of  her  guests. 

The  guests,  when  they  once  began  to  come,  came 
in  crowds  as  though  fearful  of  approaching  the 
great  house  alone  and  unaided  by  the  moral  stimu- 
lus and  support  of  their  fellows.  Molly  grasped 
hand  after  hand,  those  in  front  insisting  on  lin- 
gering a  moment  and  talking  to  her  in  the  slow 
laborious  way  of  the  country  and  those  behind  press- 
ing eagerly  forward,  while  she  racked  her  numb 
brain  for  wit  enough  to  answer  the  witless,  though 

232 


THE    STRANGER 

she  felt  like  screaming  at  them  to  be  gone  and  not  to 
bother  her  with  their  wanderings  around,  staring  at 
everything,  talking  inanities  and  grinning  like  the 
foolish  sheep  they  tended.  Then  the  car  rolled  up 
with  another  delighted  load  of  guests,  and  glan- 
cing up,  she  caught  Algernon's  eyes  fixed  on  her 
face  with  amusement,  sympathy  and  a  tenderness 
that  restored  in  a  measure  her  equanimity.  She 
longed  to  slip  away  by  herself  and  think,  think, 
think,  make  up  some  plan  to  meet  this  unforeseen 
and  unexpected  difficulty,  but  her  position  was  too 
insecure.  North  Brockton  was  watching  and  the 
impending  fear  of  discovery  and  humiliation  kept 
her  at  her  post  on  the  side  terrace,  shaking  limp 
moist  hands  and  expressing  her  pleasure  at  the  pres- 
ence of  each  unwelcome  guest. 

Hancock,  attended  by  James  Mortimer  Worth, 
had  come  early  and  intended  to  remain  late.  The 
simple  little  country  maiden  with  her  sweet  shyness 
had  proved  too  much  for  James,  being  not  only  as 
good,  but  indeed  a  far  better  exponent  of  the  gentle 
art  of  flirtation  than  James.  James  had  become 
serious,  the  girl  flippant.  James  vowed  he  would 
leave  and  never  return,  and  the  girl  judged  it  was 
better  so.  Her  fiance,  she  explained  with  charming 
naivete,  was  coming  that  evening  from  a  distant 

233 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

town  to  visit  her.  James,  she  politely  expressed, 
would  be  a  crowd  under  the  circumstances,  rather 
than  company,  and  James,  sore  at  heart  with  the 
perfidy  of  women,  sold  his  pedler's  outfit,  and  tele- 
graphing for  his  car  to  meet  him  at  Bath,  departed 
on  a  hurried  trip  to  Canada.  The  experience  had 
seared  his  soul.  No  more  country  girls  for  James. 
He  turned  to  the  simpler  minded,  more  unsophisti- 
cated city  girls  with  relief  and  \followed  Molly 
around  with  the  same  persistence  as  Hancock,  fail- 
ing entirely  to  act  upon  the  latter's  gentle  hints  to 
make  himself  agreeable  to  the  female  native  element. 
From  long  familiarity  with  the  same  thing,  Al- 
gernon disliked  garden  parties  intensely.  He  had 
worked  hard  and  untiringly  for  the  success  of  this 
one  and  the  novelty  of  his  position  afforded  him  a 
measure  of  amusement,  but  when  he  had  delivered 
the  last  car-load  of  guests  at  Molly's  side,  he  put 
up  the  car  and  strolled  away  to  the  seclusion  of  the 
rocks  to  smoke  and  dream  of  Molly,  adorable  fas- 
cinating Molly,  in  her  soft  lace  gown  direct  from 
Redfern's,  charged  to  his  mother's  account,  and  with 
a  heavy  chain  of  large,  quaintly  carved,  jet  beads 
around  her  slender  throat.  She  wore  not  a  color  to 
detract  from  the  deep  black  of  her  hair,  from  the 
glorious  blue  of  her  eyes  and  from  the  apple-blossom 

234 


THE    STRANGER 

tinge  in  her  rounded  cheeks.  How  pretty  she  looked 
standing  on  the  side  terrace,  the  ivy-covered  walls 
of  the  great  house  as  a  background,  the  gaily- 
dressed  crowd  of  country  folk  pressing  around  to 
shake  hands  and  pass  the  time  of  day ! 

He  thought  once  or  twice  of  Holmes  and  won- 
dered if  he  would  be  bold  enough  to  come  to  the 
party  for  the  rare  pleasure  it  would  give  him  in 
watching  the  acting  of  the  little  comedy  that  amused 
him  so  and  that  he  was  so  kindly  assisting.  Holmes 
was  a  good-looking  chap,  Algernon  decided,  as  he 
slipped  down  a  narrow  path  toward  a  bit  of  beach 
he  had  seen  below  him.  He  chuckled  as  he  thought 
of  the  surprise  he  would  see  on  Molly's  face  were 
she  aware  of  her  guest's  knowledge.  Then  he 
climbed  around  a  point  of  rock  and  came  on  the 
girl  herself,  Hancock  on  one  side  of  her,  James  on 
the  other. 

The  sight  distressed  Algernon  as  wearing  a  pur- 
ple tie  with  a  pink  shirt  would  have  done.  It  was 
incongruous,  badly  out  of  place.  He  was  not  jeal- 
ous of  Hancock,  he  told  himself,  but  Molly  in  com- 
pany with  another  beside  himself  was  impossible  if 
he  had  to  stand  around  and  watch  the  situation.  He 
regarded  the  two  young  men  with  cold  disapproval, 
and  raising  his  cap  politely,  if  a  bit  sternly,  to 

235 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

Molly,  joined  them,  to  Hancock's  frank  surprise  and 
James'  distress,  for  the  thought  of  the  end  of  his  un- 
fortunate experience  with  country  girls  simply 
added  to  the  hurt  that  Algernon's  unfriendly  haste 
to  be  gone  and  dark  suspicions  of  his  friend's  inten- 
tions had  made  in  James'  sorely  lacerated  soul. 

Molly  made  room  for  Algernon  at  her  feet  on  the 
rock  in  front  of  her  and  glanced  from  one  to  the 
other  of  the  three  with  dancing  mischievous  eyes. 
She  was  nervous  and  excited,  and  her  vivacity 
was  faintly  overdrawn.  If  Algernon  had  not 
been  grieved  by  the  presence  of  the  other  two 
and  rilled  with  plans  to  be  rid  of  them,  he  would 
have  noticed  that  there  was  something  wrong  with 
the  girl.  Her  cheeks  were  flushed  and  her  eyes 
bright  with  suppressed  fear  and  nervousness.  She 
laughed  at  every  remark  and  talked  breathlessly  to 
keep  from  thinking. 

"Mr.  Holmes,"  said  she  gaily,  purposely  thus 
framing  her  introduction,  "let  me  introduce  Mr. 
Hancock  and  Mr.  Worth." 

Algernon  raised  his  cap  again  coldly  and  made 
no  offer  to  shake  hands.  That  Molly  found  any 
amusement  in  the  situation  merely  grieved  him. 

Hancock  flushed  slightly  and  hastily  withdrew 
his  barely-proffered  hand,  having  intended  to  show 

236 


THE    STRANGER 

true  democracy  before  the  young  fellow  who  was 
perhaps  a  trifle  too  young  to  realize  his  position. 
James  nodded  carelessly  and  refused  to  let  even  sur- 
prise over  the  strange  antics  and  new  names  of  his 
false  friend  be  seen  on  his  face.  He  had  never  heard 
of  the  Todd's  place  in  Maine,  but  he  knew  that  the 
family,  lateral  and  collateral,  was  a  large  one,  and 
had  decided  that  Molly  was  one  of  the  younger 
Todds,  refusing  to  inquire  further  about  the  affairs 
of  a  stranger,  as  all  who  bore  the  name  of  Todd 
would  henceforth  be  to  him,  he  told  himself. 

"Ah,  yes,"  said  Hancock  kindly.  "Mr.  Holmes, 
glad  to  know  you." 

In  the  country,  he  told  himself,  everybody  was 
equal,  and  the  youth  had  probably  not  realized  the 
social  difference  between  himself  and  his  mistress' 
guests.  Molly  was  a  kind  little  soul,  and  clearly  did 
not  like  to  hurt  his  feelings  and  was  indifferent 
about  keeping  him  in  his  place,  which  was  only  a 
temporary  one,  Hancock  believed  she  had  said. 
Nobly  he  essayed  to  start  a  conversation  with  the 
young  man,  a  simple  clear  conversation,  in  words 
of  two  syllables  that  would  put  the  fellow 
at  his  ease,  though  Hancock  admitted  to  him- 
self he  hardly  seemed  so  much  ill  at  ease  as 
angry,  plainly  disapproving  of  something.  Cars 

237 


THE    UPPER    CRUST, 

probably  were  the  only  subject  he  knew  anything 
about,  so  Hancock,  growing  himself  visibly  more  ill 
at  ease  every  moment  the  heavy  silence  hung  be- 
tween them,  a  silence  which  Molly  wickedly  refused 
to  break  and  which  neither  Algernon  nor  James 
deigned  to,  opened  the  subject  of  motor-cars. 

"I  suppose  you  have  driven  the  Todds'  make  of 
car  before,"  said  he  pleasantly,  "or  you  would  not 
be  so  familiar  with  them.  Mrs.  Todd  tells  me  you 
keep  them  in  first-class  order." 

Algernon  regarded  the  well-meaning  youth 
coldly.  "Yes,"  said  he,  and  turned  his  gaze  placidly 
out  to  sea  again. 

"Have  you  ever  driven  any  other  make?"  Han- 
cock plunged  on  desperately. 

"Quite  often." 

"What  ones?" 

"Several." 

Hancock  turned  to  Molly.  It  was  ridiculous  to 
try  to  carry  on  a  conversation  with  the  fellow.  He 
would  simply  ignore  him. 

"Doubtless  you  enjoy  plenty  of  sailing,  Mrs. 
Todd,"  said  James,  seeking  to  start  a  conversation 
on  his  own  account  between  himself  and  his  hostess. 
The  remark  was  harmless,  if  a  trifle  flat. 

"Ah,"  said  Algernon,  before  Molly  could  reply, 
238 


; 


Ah,  yes !  I  see.     Quite  clever. 


THE    STRANGER 

"how  do  you  make  that  out?     Where  would  she 
sail?" 

James  flushed.  "I  thought  it  might  possibly  be 
done  in  the  ocean,"  he  answered  with  angry  sarcasm, 
forgetting  his  intention  not  to  speak  to  Algernon  in 
any  capacity,  either  as  a  former  friend  or  present 
chauffeur,  as  he  judged  him  to  be  to  his  own  cousin, 
an  arrangement  James  forebore  at  the  outset,  in 
cold  pride,  to  try  to  solve,  even  to  think  about 

"Quite  a  remarkable  deduction,"  murmured  Al- 
gernon. "And  as  Mrs.  Todd  lives  by  the  sea,  you 
thought  it  just  possible  that  she  may  have  gone  sail- 
ing. Ah,  yes!  I  see.  Quite  clever.  Who  would 
have  thought  it!" 

James  flushed  deeper  and  glared  at  the  placid 
Algernon.  Hancock  strove  to  conceal  his  pleasure 
at  his  friend's  discomfiture.  He  liked  James,  but 
James  had  no  tact,  was  utterly  incapable  of  seeing 
when  he  was  not  wanted.  Molly  spoke  hastily. 

"I  love  sailing.  I  love  the  feeling  of  the  rope  in 
your  hand  when  there  is  a  hard  wind.  It  seems  as  if 
the  boat  were  alive,  almost  like  a  horse." 

Hancock  nodded.  "I  like  it  much  better  than  a 
motor-boat,"  said  he.  "A  motor-boat  is  faster — " 

"Ah,"  murmured  Algernon,  "another  rare  piece 
of  intelligence." 

239, 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"Call  it  a  pearl,"  snapped  Hancock,  irritated  now 
that  it  was  his  turn. 

"The  inference,"  suggested  Algernon  with  a  mild 
lift  of  the  eyebrows,  "is  hardly  complimentary  to 
the  lady." 

"Ladies  are  always  excepted,"  declared  Hancock. 

"Do  not  except  me,"  protested  Molly,  who  was 
filled  with  a  keen  delight  at  the  impudence  of  her 
chauffeur.  "I  believe  in  absolute  equality  between 
the  sexes.  'Votes  for  women'  is  my  slogan,  and  so, 
you  see,  I  can't  be  excepted." 

"You  are  fooling  about  'votes  for  women/  "  and 
Algernon  dismissed  her  rash  statement  with  a  shrug. 

"Indeed,  I  am  not,"  declared  Molly.  "Mr.  Han- 
cock, Mr.  Worth,  don't  you  believe  in  women's 
rights?" 

"Most  certainly,"  declared  James  firmly,  ready  to 
believe  in  anything  provided  Algernon  opposed  it. 

"Not  to,  as  I  look  at  it,  is  a  deliberate  insult  to 
our  mothers,"  added  Hancock  gallantly. 

"Not  to  mine,"  said  Algernon  quietly.  "She  has 
all  her  rights  and  mine,  too." 

Molly  laughed  more  from  a  gleeful  pleasure  she 
was  taking  in  the  ability  of  her  chauffeur  to  be 
frankly  unabashed  before  the  two  wealthy  young 
men  than  because  of  any  humor  in  Algernon's  re- 

240 


THE    STRANGER 

mark.  "I  suppose  you  think  that  the  hand  that 
rocks  the  cradle  rocks  the  universe,"  she  teased,  de- 
murely egging  him  on  to  fresh  rudeness.  Thank 
Heaven,  there  was  nothing  humble  about  him. 

Algernon  waved  her  remark  aside  wearily,  with 
the  bored  wisdom  of  a  man  of  fifty  who  has  reared 
a  family  of  ten.  "Cradles,"  said  he,  "are  no  longer 
rocked.  It  upsets  the  child's  nerves  and  has  a  tend- 
ency to  put  a  child  to  sleep  without  a  long  crying 
spell  which  doubtless  causes  a  rupture  in  the  veins 
in  the  heatf,  rasps  the  throat  and  makes  the  heart 
beat  too  fast,  but  which  nevertheless  teaches  self- 
control  at  the  early  age  of  two  weeks." 

Molly  laughed  again.  Hancock  murmured,  "Ah, 
another  rare  piece  of  intelligence,"  and  then  won- 
dered angrily  why  he  stooped  to  bandy  words  with 
his  hostess'  servant. 

"No  sensible  woman,"  continued  Algernon,  who 
preferred  to  ignore  his  opponents  in  an  argument,  if 
possible,  "no  sensible  woman  believes  in  suffrage. 
It  is  illogical  and  impractical." 

Molly  became  as  irritated  as  Hancock  and  James. 
"Really,  Joe,"  said  she,  "you  know  nothing  what- 
ever about  it." 

"Pardon  me,"  said  Algernon  coldly.  "My  mother 
is  a  suffragist" 

241 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"You  said  no  sensible  woman  believed  in  suf- 
frage," snapped  James  angrily,  unable  to  restrain 
himself  from  answering. 

"And  Mr.  Hancock  said  ladies  were  always  an 
exception,"  returned  Algernon  wearily,  bored  by 
the  conversation. 

"I  hope  I  am  a  lady,"  said  Molly,  on  the  verge  of 
laughter  again.  "I  believe  in  suffrage,  too,  and 
would  like  to  feel  that  I  am  at  the  same  time  sensi- 
ble." 

"You,"  said  Algernon,  "are  a  girl."  And  he  dis- 
missed her  aspirations  with  an  airy  wave  of  the 
hand,  as  one  would  put  aside  the  irrelevant  prattle 
of  a  child. 

Hancock  rose  with  annoyance.  The  fellow  was 
insufferable,  worse  than  James'  constant  company. 
"Shall  we  return  to  the  house?"  he  asked,  holding 
out  his  hand  to  Molly.  "You  may  want  an  ice  and 
some  coffee." 

Algernon  arose  promptly  and  himself  helped 
Molly  to  her  feet.  "Do  you  want  to  go  back?"  he 
asked,  still  holding  her  hand  to  help  her  up  the 
rocks. 

"I  have  to,"  said  she,  and  sighed  wistfully  as  she 
glanced  at  the  steeples  and  gables  of  the  house  seen 
over  the  tree-tops  and  thought  of  what  awaited  her 

242 


there,  thankful  that  Joe  knew  all,  that  the  surprise 
of  the  disclosure  would  not  shock  him,  anyway, 
would  not  turn  him  against  her  as  it  would  the 
others.  She  let  him  help  her  up  the  rocks,  reckless 
now  of  what  impression  she  was  making  on  Han- 
cock. With  exposure  and  disgrace  so  near,  a  few 
hours  more  or  less  did  not  matter.  Then  angry 
reason  came  to  her  aid  and  told  her  not  to  do  any- 
thing foolish,  to  wait  and  see  what  happened,  as  she 
had  waited  so  long  and  so  often,  for  positions,  for 
a  raise  in  salary,  for  her  luck  to  turn.  On  the  top 
of  the  bank  she  pulled  her  hand  away,  nodded  to  her 
chauffeur  with  a  gay  little  "Thank  you,  Joe,"  and 
turned  toward  the  house  on  the  hill,  with  James  on 
one  side  and  Hancock  on  the  other. 

Algernon  frowned  angrily,  started  to  follow, 
thought  of  the  girl's  position  and  stopped,  watching 
the  three  moodily  until  the  trees  hid  them  from  his 
sight.  Then  he  made  his  way  to  the  garage  and 
tinkered  gloomily  with  the  cars.  This  job  of  being 
chauffeur  to  his  mother's  housekeeper  wasn't  always 
such  a  humorous  proposition  as  it  at  first  appeared 
to  be. 


CHAPTER  XII 

SOMEWHAT  AWKWARD 

A  they  approached  the  house  and  caught 
glimpses  of  the  other  guests,  enjoying  them- 
selves in  their  hostess'  short  absence  rather  than 
otherwise,  Hancock  suggested  as  a  last  desperate 
means  of  relief  that  James  meet  a  few  of  the  country 
people  and  learn  their  intrinsic  worth,  realize  what 
true  democracy  means. 

"They  are  the  backbone  of  the  country,  Jimmy," 
he  declared  enthusiastically. 

James  preferred  not  to  know  the  backbone  of  the 
country,  did  not  care  to  have  anything  to  do  with  it. 

"You  don't  want  to  let  them  think  you  are  a  snob, 
Jimmy,  old  boy,"  protested  Hancock,  pained  at  the 
mere  idea  of  his  friend  appearing  in  a  poor  light. 

James  waved  the  possibility  indifferently  aside. 
"I  have  met  country  people,"  said  he  coldly,  "and 
they  are  too  deep  for  me — too  sophisticated.  They 
do  not  appeal  to  me,  Jack,  in  any  way." 

Hancock  laughed  and  threw  his  arm  around  his 
friend's  shoulders.  "Some  Maud  Muller  turn  you 
down,  old  sport?"  he  asked. 

244 


SOMEWHAT    AWKWARD 

James  removed  his  arm.  "Not  at  all,"  said  he  in 
compressed  dignity. 

So,  side  by  side,  the  two  trailed  around  after  their 
hostess,  brought  her  ices,  coffee  and  cakes,  stared 
languidly  over  the  heads  of  the  other  guests  and 
sought  to  hide  their  bored  feelings  behind  a  frank 
blankness,  while  Hancock  wondered  in  what  mo- 
ment of  temporary  insanity  he  had  asked  James  to 
remain  over  a  short  time  with  him,  and  strove  to 
recall  whether  he  had  said  a  few  days  or  had  been 
fool  enough  to  make  it  a  few  weeks,  and  James 
wondered  what  had  induced  him  to  linger  in  the 
backwoods  when  he  had  been  making  straight  for  a 
city  and  civilization  at  the  rate  of  forty  miles  an 
hour  on  the  average.  He  judged  he  was  getting  old 
and  a  bit  feeble-minded. 

As  they  approached  the  house  Molly  glanced  at  it, 
sick  and  miserable,  her  heart  heavy  with  foreboding. 
In  an  upper  window,  pausing  a  moment  to  ad- 
mire the  view  over  the  tree-tops  far  out  to  sea,  she 
caught  a  fleeting  sight  of  the  tall  lean  figure  of  Mr. 
Holmes.  No  doubt  of  his  identity  entered  the  girl's 
head  before  that  staggering  combination  of  light 
gray  and  pale  blue  silk,  Algernon  Van  Rensellear 
Todd's  favorite  colors,  carried  so  far  as  to  grace  his 
yacht,  his  racing  stables  and  motor-cars.  She 

245 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

glanced  at  Hancock's  good-looking  profile,  at  his 
well-bred  aloofness  from  the  common  affairs  of  the 
world  in  his  position  of  spectator  instead  of  par- 
ticipator and  wondered  what  he  would  say  when  he 
knew,  as  he  would  in  a  few  short  hours  now. 

She  was  sure  he  would  not  understand.  None  of 
his  primeval  instincts  and  desires  had  ever  been 
aroused.  He  knew  art,  poetry,  travel,  the  old  and 
the  new  world,  but  nothing  of  hunger,  of  privation, 
of  unfulfilled  longings  and  heart  cravings.  He 
judged  the  world  from  the  lofty  pinnacle  of  several 
millions  in  the  cash  of  the  realm,  which  shut  him  out 
of  the  real  game  of  life  as  effectually  as  a  high  board 
fence  without  a  knot-hole  excludes  the  small  boy 
without  the  price  from  a  baseball  game.  His  well- 
bred  aloofness  was  unintentional  on  his  part  the 
girl  realized.  He  simply  could  not  help  it,  for  he 
had  never  been  in  a  position  to  be  otherwise,  to 
understand,  to  learn  life  as  it  is.  He  was  honorable 
and  she  did  him  the  justice  to  believe  that  he  would 
always  be  so  under  any  provocation,  but  the  fact  re- 
mained that  he  had  never  been  tested,  that,  after  all, 
his  honor  was  more  one  of  circumstances  than  prin- 
ciple. He  would  be  kind  and  try  to  be  sympathetic, 
but  would  be  miles  away  in  spirit.  He  simply  would 
not  understand.  She  glanced  at  James'  round  fat 

246 


SOMEWHAT   AWKWARD 

pudginess  and  knew  he  wouldn't  attempt  to  under- 
stand. The  whole  affair  to  James  would  simply  be 
another  of  those  unfortunate  instances  of  the  de- 
pravity of  the  country. 

She  felt  a  sudden  fierce  hatred  for  those  who  had 
everything  and  could  not  understand,  who  were  un- 
consciously, and  generally  unintentionally,  superior 
to  the  common  people  because  they  did  not  under- 
stand. They  had  never  stood  alone,  penniless  and 
friendless,  dependent  upon  their  own  brains  and 
hands  for  food,  clothing  and  a  place  to  sleep.  They 
did  not  understand,  did  not  know,  could  not  realize. 
And  she  turned  to  the  shabbily,  gaudily  dressed  as- 
semblage of  country  folk  with  a  certain  companion- 
ship and  longing  as  one  in  a  foreign  country  will 
turn  to  a  fellow-countryman  as  to  a  long-lost 
brother.  They  and  she  talked  and  thought  in  the 
same  language,  that  of  poverty,  and  though  they 
would  condemn,  they  would  understand. 

She  chatted  gaily  in  a  sort  of  mental  stupor, 
watching  herself  in  surprise  and  wondering  how 
she  did  it,  as  a  critical  audience  watches  a  new  star 
just  risen  into  the  ken  of  the  theater- going  public. 
She  felt  an  odd,  impersonal  mother-tenderness  for 
all  who  had  tried  and  failed.  As  she  laughed  and 
talked,  walked  here  and  there  among  her  guests,  saw 

247 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

to  their  comfort,  nodded  at  Hancock's  remarks, 
smiled  at  James'  gloomy  attempts  to  be  jocular,  she 
kept  watching  for  the  long  gray  figure,  the  sallow 
humorous  face  of  the  man  she  believed  to  be  Al- 
gernon Todd. 

After  what  seemed  an  eternity  to  the  tortured  girl, 
the  guests  began  to  depart.  All  insisted  on  shak- 
ing hands  again  and  expressing  their  pleasure  in  the 
afternoon,  and  Molly  perforce  took  up  her  old  sta- 
tion at  the  terrace  steps,  with  James  on  one  side  of 
her  and  Hancock  on  the  other.  When  the  last  hand 
had  been  shaken,  the  last  good-by  received  and  re- 
turned, she  sank  wearily  on  the  terrace  step  behind 
her  and  Hancock  suggested  that  James  go  for  an 
ice  or  something  to  drink.  The  female  native  ele- 
ment having  departed,  James  felt  he  could  do  so 
without-danger  and  hurried  away  with  alacrity,  ad- 
mitting to  himself  that  country-made  ice-cream  was 
certainly  comparable  with  any  one  could  get  in  the 
city. 

"Molly,  you're  tired — dear,"  said  Hancock  gently, 
bending  over  her. 

The  girl  nodded,  feeling  suddenly  limp  and  ex- 
hausted now  that  the  strain  of  keeping  up  before  her 
guests  was  practically  over.  "Why  are  parties  con- 
sidered pleasure,"  she  asked  plaintively,  "when 

248 


SOMEWHAT    AWKWARD 

they  leave  one  worn  to  a  frazzle,  irritable  and  de- 
siring nothing  so  much  as  to  commit  murder?" 

Hancock  laughed  and  made  a  little  motion,  hastily 
suppressed,  to  lay  his  hand  on  her  shoulder.  "Ask 
me  something  easier,"  he  said,  "why  dogs  have 
four  legs  and  humans  only  two,  or  what  happened  to 
James  to  make  him  dislike  the  country  folk  so. 
Come  to  the  rocks  for  a  while — just  you  and  I." 

"Don't,"  said  the  girl  sharply,  rising  to  her  feet., 

"Don't  what— dear?" 

"Don't  ask  me  to  go  to  the  rocks,"  she  answered, 
"and  leave  James  behind,"  she  added  flippantly  as 
she  caught  a  fleeting  glimpse  of  the  wounded  sur- 
prise on  his  face. 

"Enough  ice-cream  would  compensate  James  for 
a  life  in  the  wilderness,"  urged  Hancock.  "I  want 
to  talk  to  you." 

One  quickly-veiled  shy  glance  at  his  eyes  and 
Molly  had  read  his  intentions.  After  two  months, 
young  Hancock  had  determined  to  put  his  fortune 
to  the  test,  to  lay  his  honor  and  his  life  at  the  lady's 
feet,  and  after  two  months  of  waiting  for  this  mo- 
ment, the  crowning  success  of  her  masquerade,  the 
goal  for  which  she  had  worked  and  striven — come 
now  when  she  was  discovered,  come  just  in  time  to 
save  her  from  her  own  folly — she  could  think  of 

249 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

nothing  but  a  long  lean  youth,  with  sandy  hair  and 
kind  gray  eyes,  a  youth  who  was  a  bit  foolish,  wholly 
irresponsible  and  care-free,  without  a  cent  in  the 
world  and  absolutely  no  prospects.  They  had 
laughed  and  played  and  swum  together  for  a  week, 
one  short  week,  and  the  girl's  heart  cried  out  at  the 
sacrilege  of  willingly  listening  to  another  man.  1C 
was  a  moment  of  weakness,  soul-benumbing,  un- 
profitable weakness,  but  at  the  time  too  strong  for 
her  to  fight  against.  She  wanted  Joe  as  a  homesick 
child  wants  its  mother  and  no  tempting  offer  of 
a  new  doll,  a  gaudy  stick  of  red  and  white  candy, 
would  suffice.  She  shook  her  head  gaily  and  re- 
treated up  the  terrace  steps. 

"I'm  talked  out,  absolutely,"  she  laughed.  "I 
couldn't  tell  you  the  time  even  if  I  had  a  watch  in 
my  hand.  Let  us  join  James  and  the  ice-cream 
freezer  and  simply  eat." 

Hancock  reached  boldly  for  her  hand.  "Molly," 
he  pleaded,  "I  want  to  ask  you  something — " 

"When  a  woman  is  tired,  leave  her  alone,"  in- 
sisted the  girl.  "Homes  are  wrecked,  fortunes  lost, 
nations  sent  to- war,  by  man's  inability  to  know  when 
to  leave  a  woman  alone." 

"The  ice-cream  is  all  gone." 
250 


SOMEWHAT   AWKWARD 

James  appeared  on  the  terrace  above  them  and 
beside  him  Mr.  Joseph  Holmes,  Patterson,  now,  he 
had  explained  airily  to  James,  when  they  had  met 
by  chance  in  the  empty  dining-room. 

"To  help  Todd  out,  you  know,"  said  Holmes 
lightly.  "He  is  having  some  fun,  it  seems,  with  the 
young  lady,  a  cousin  of  his  father's,  I  believe  he 
said.  They  have  never  met  before  and  Todd  wants 
to  masquerade  for  a  few  days  as  a  chauffeur  and  I 
am  helping  him  out,  as  I  broke  in  on  his  little  game 
unintentionally  and  I  won't  be  here  long,  not  more 
than  a  day  or  two  at  most  Don't  say  anything 
about  this  to  any  one,  please.  It  is  a  secret  between 
Todd  and  me  and  we  don't  want  any  one  to  know. 
You  understand?" 

"Certainly,"  said  James  coldly.  "It  is  no  affair  of 
mine  and  I  shall  say  nothing." 

Molly  turned  to  the  two  with  relief  and  intro- 
duced Holmes — alias  Todd — to  the  others,  suppress- 
ing a  wild  desire  to  laugh  aloud  at  the  farce  of  it 
all.  Hancock  bowed  stiffly  and  declared  that  he 
must  be  going.  He  had  doubtless  already  stayed  too 
long. 

"You  have  only  been  in  town  a  few  days,  I  be- 
.lieve,  Mr.  Patterson?"  said  he  in  ominous  calm. 

251 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

Holmes  nodded.  "My  motor  broke  down  and  I 
had  to  send  to  Boston  for  a  new  part.  Beastly  bore, 
waiting.  I  was  on  my  way  to  Montreal,  you  know." 

"You  are  stopping  at  the  hotel,  I  suppose.  Can 
I  take  you  back  to  the  village  in  my  car?  Jim  and 
I  are  going  directly." 

"Why,  thanks  awfully,"  drawled  Holmes.  "It 
would  be  a  lift.  Much  obliged.  I  became  interested 
in  a  book  and  forgot  the  time.  Mrs.  Todd,  you  must 
excuse  me,  really,  out-staying  the  rest  of  your  guests 
like  this.  It  was  jolly  kind  in  you  to  take  pity  on 
my  loneliness  and  ask  me  up  here  to-day.  I've  en- 
joyed myself  immensely,  believe  me." 

"I  shall  call  up  your  car,"  said  Molly  and  started 
for  the  door. 

"Let  me,"  begged  Hancock,  starting  after  her, 
but  Holmes  reached  her  side  first  and  Hancock  drew 
back,  flushed  and  angry,  with  a  sharp  pain  of  jeal- 
ousy. Who  was  this  stranger  who,  instead  of  ming- 
ling with  the  other,  guests  as  he  and  James  had 
heroically,  if  unsuccessfully,  tried  to  do,  had  lin- 
gered in  the  house  as  though  on  intimate  terms  with 
its  mistress  and  had  stayed  behind  the  others  pur- 
posely as  Hancock  well  knew,  that  he  might  talk 
with  her  alone,  going  now,  simply  because  they  had 
come  on  him  unawares  and  there  was  no  escape? 

252 


SOMEWHAT    AWKWARD 

"Shall  I  come  to-night?"  asked  Holmes  of  Molly, 
as  he  hung  up  the  garage  telephone  and  turned  to 
the  girl.  "I  had  better  go  now.  There  is  no  need  of 
making  the  others  think  anything — er — unnecessary, 
by  staying  behind.  I  hate  publicity  worse  than 
mama  does." 

The  girl  nodded,  white  and  tired,  and  they  re- 
joined the  others  on  the  terrace. 

As  they  waited  for  the  car,  they  talked  with  the 
vivacity  people  assume  when  they  are  trying  to  hide 
their  feelings.  James  alone  was  frankly  silent,  and 
James  alone  had  nothing  to  conceal.  As  the  car  dis- 
appeared down  the  drive,  Molly  turned  to  the  door 
with  a  wry  smile.  Hancock,  she  knew,  was  jealous, 
but  what  did  it  matter?  Algernon  Van  Rensellear 
Todd  would  return  that  evening  and  then  the  whole 
thing  would  end.  She  had  had  her  chance  that 
afternoon,  and  for  a  foolish  unstable  reason  she  had 
let  it  go,  thrown  it  recklessly  aside.  Well,  she  had 

been  a  fool,  but  it  could  not  be  helped  now.     She 

i 

shrugged  wearily  and  went  in. 

The  days  were  growing  shorter  and  it  was  nearly, 
dark,  though  still  early,  when  Molly,  lingering  in 
hopeless  despair  on  the  side  terrace,  once  more  saw 
Holmes  coming  toward  her  across  the  lawn.  At 
first,  in  the  shadows,  she  had  mistaken  the  long  fig- 

253 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

ure  for  that  of  her  chauffeur,  and  her  heart  had 
given  a  quick  little  flutter,  and  involuntarily  she  had 
smiled  to  herself,  unseen.  But  as  he  drew  nearer 
she  saw  that  he  was,  instead,  Patterson,  or  Todd,  as 
she  now  thought  of  him.  She  wondered  a  bit  angrily 
why  he  never  approached  the  house  by  the  gates 
as  every  one  else  did,  and  then  remembered  that  to 
one  walking,  the  pathway  from  the  village,  through 
the  woods,  around  by  the  rocks,  was  the  shortest  way 
by  at  least  a  mile.  The  evening,  though  cloudy, 
with  distant  rumbles  of  thunder  and  ominous  flashes 
now  and  then  of  lightning,  was  warm  and  walking 
delightful  after  the  close  sultry  day.  Holmes' 
car  was  broken  and  there  was  nothing  more  natural 
than  that  he  should  prefer  to  walk  to  Castle  Crags 
through  the  woods  along  the  shore  rather  than  hire 
a  rickety  trap  from  the  hotel  and  rattle  up  in  noisy 
discomfort. 

Molly  waited  where  she  was  until  he  reached  the 
terrace  steps,  then  she  rose  and  went  forward  to  meet 
him.  She  did  not  hold  out  her  hand  this  time,  but 
bowed  with  a  certain  youthful  dignity,  wished  him 
good  evening  and  with  a  slight  motion  of  her  hand 
toward  the  open  doorway,  turned  and  led  the  way 
in. 

The  shaded  lamp  on  the  center-table  lighted  but  a 
254 


SOMEWHAT   AWKWARD 

small  oasis  in  the  vast  hall,  throwing  the  stairs,  the 
fireplace  and  the  distant  corners  into  deep  gloom, 
and  Molly  raised  her  hand  to  switch  on  the  rest  of 
the  electric  lights,  when  Holmes  checked  her.  He 
was  afraid  Algernon  might  be  prowling  around  the 
grounds  somewhere,  and  too  much  light  would 
attract  his  attention. 

"It's  pleasant  as  it  is,"  said  he.  "I  shall  not  be 
long — besides,  I  saw  the  place  this  afternoon — made 
a  thorough  examination." 

Molly  acquiesced  quietly — he  was  master  here — 
and  drew  up  a  great  chair  into  which  she  sank  grate- 
fully, feeling  that  her  knees  could  no  longer  support 
her.  She  was  the  culprit,  he  the  judge.  It  was  for 
him  to  do  the  talking  and  ask  the  questions.  She 
waited  for  him  to  begin,  indifferent  after  the  long 
strain  of  anticipation,  in  which  her  feelings  had  for 
a  time  worn  themselves  out. 

Holmes  had  worn  no  hat  and  the  long  lock  of 
black  hair  across  his  forehead  had  been  blown  for- 
ward nearly  into  his  humorous  twinkling  eyes.  His 
hands  were  thrust  into  his  pockets  as  he  stood  look- 
ing down  at  the  girl,  with  amusement  instead  of 
censure. 

"Well  ?"  said  the  girl,  looking  up  at  him  from  the 
depths  of  the  chair. 

255 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"It  wouldn't  be  well,  if  mama  was  here,"  said 
Holmes.  He  walked  the  length  of  the  hall,  paused 
a  moment  at  the  door  to  stare  out  into  the  night  and 
then  returned  to  the  girl  in  the  circle  of  the  lamp- 
light. "I  was  all  over  the  house  this  afternoon 
and  down  at  the  stables  and  the  garage.  Every- 
thing seems  to  be  all  right,  in  perfect  order,  ex- 
cept— the  minor  irregularity  of  the  numerous  tables 
I  found  on  the  lawn  and  a  few  superfluous  musicians 
on  the  side  terrace." 

"Everything  is  all  right,"  declared  the  girl  color- 
lessly. "I  have  done  everything  as  Mrs.  Todd 
ordered  it  to  be  done." 

"Except  one  thing,"  suggested  Holmes  jocularly. 

"And  that  is?" 

"Taken  the  role  of  my  revered  parent  What  did 
you  do  it  for?" 

"Fun,"  answered  the  girl  shortly. 

"Fun?"  Holmes  chuckled.  He  was  immensely 
amused.  It  was  clear  the  girl  had  no  doubt  of  his 
identity  at  all.  He  wondered  who  she  was.  No 
relative,  he  decided,  but  some  housekeeper  hired  for 
the  occasion  while  Mrs.  Todd  was  in  Europe.  She 
was  young  and  pretty  and  it  was  not  surprising  that 
Todd  did  not  care  to  reveal  himself  until  his 
mother's  return.  Holmes  had  seen  a  letter  ad- 

256 


SOMEWHAT    AWKWARD 

dressed  to  Molly  O'Toole  the  day  before,  as  he 
sought  to  kill  a  few  dragging  hours  in  the  store 
waiting  for  the  mail,  and  had  judged  the  name  to  be- 
long to  the  girl  in  the  great  house  and  that  she  was 
no  cousin,  as  Algernon  had  gallantly  lied.  He  was  in 
trouble  himself  just  at  present,  trouble  that  neces- 
sitated a  hasty  trip  to  Canada  that  had  been  inno- 
cently interfered  with  by  Algernon  and  this  same 
girl  and  the  unfortunate  breaking  of  his  car.  He 
needed  some  refuge  in  case  the  storm  gathered  and 
broke  before  he  could  get  across  the  border  and 
determined  to  take  the  one  so  playfully  offered  him 
by  the  fates.  He  must  impress  the  girl  with  his 
right  to  enter  the  house  any  time  he  desired  and  to 
stay  as  long  as  he  wished.  The  great  place  on  the 
hill,  with  the  sea  at  its  feet  and  the  woods  at  its 
back  made  an  ideal  and  perfectly  safe  hiding-place 
for  one  pursued  by  the  law. 

His  one  fear  was  Algernon  himself.  He  must 
keep  out  of  the  latter's  sight  as  much  as  pos- 
sible and  always  have  some  good  excuse  if  caught 
lingering  in  the  grounds  or  around  the  house. 
He  did  not  know  how  far  Molly  had  taken 
Algernon  into  her  confidence,  but  felt  sure  that 
she  believed  Algernon  thought  her  the  real  Mrs. 
Todd  and  that  she  would  do  everything  in  her 

257 


power  to  keep  Holmes'  supposed  identity  a  secret. 
Still,  he  must  go  carefully.  He  must  so  impress  the 
girl  that  she  would  let  him  make  free  with  the  place 
without  question,  and  yet  would  be  willing  to  help 
him  in  his  masquerade  as  Mr.  Patterson  and  not  con- 
sider his  desire  so  to  pose  as  suspicious.  There  must 
be  a  good  and  sufficient  reason  for  it  and  for  the 
moment  Holmes  could  think  of  no  such  reason. 

He  turned  and  paced  the  length  of  the  hall  again, 
always  listening  for  Algernon's  approach,  knowing 
that  Algernon  was  not  so  well  trained  a  chauffeur  as 
he  might  be  and  was  on  more  social  than  business 
terms  with  his  mistress. 

"What  were  you  intending  to  do  when  mama 
returned?"  he  asked,  sitting  on  the  edge  of  the  table, 
his  hands  still  in  his  pockets. 

"I  hoped  not  to  be  here  then,"  said  Molly. 

"Planned  a  quick  get-away,  eh?"  laughed 
Holmes.  "Well,  it  is  certainly  too  bad  I  turned  up. 
You  do  mama  very  well;  very  well,  indeed." 

He  picked  up  a  silver  paper-cutter  and  porsed  it 
carefully  on  his  finger,  while  the  girl  said  nothing. 
There  was  nothing  to  say.  It  was  for  him  to  do  the 
talking. 

"Mama  is  in  Europe,  you  know,"  said  Holmes, 
tossing  up  the  cutter  and  catching  it  skilfully  by  the 

258 


SOMEWHAT    AWKWARD 

handle  as  it  fell.  "I  am  sure  I  do  not  know  what 
to  do.  I  know  she  told  me  before  she  left  that  she 
had  great  confidence  in  you." 

Molly  flushed,  a  burning  tide  of  crimson  flooded 
her  white  face,  crept  up  to  her  hair  and  down  her 
delicate  throat.  She  started  to  her  feet  and  walked 
restlessly  to  the  window. 

"Yes,"  said  she,  "she  had  great  confidence  in  me. 
I  have  betrayed  it." 

She  came  back  to  the  circle  of  lamp-light,  but  she 
did  not  sit  down ;  she  leaned  instead  on  the  back  of 
the  chair,  her  hands  folded  before  her.  She  had 
grown  white  again  and  for  the  moment  refused  to 
meet  his  eyes. 

"Oh,  I  don't  know,"  said  Holmes  slowly.  He 
must  not  seem  to  doubt  her  innocent  intentions  or  it 
would  be  impossible  to  make  her  understand  why  he 
would  be  willing  to  leave  her  there  in  his  mother's 
absence  after  he  knew  what  she  was  doing.  "I  don't 
see  that  you  have  betrayed  it  more  than  to  the  extent 
of  taking  her  name  and  giving  a  most  enjoyable 
lawn  party.  Nothing  is  missing  in  the  house,  every- 
thing is  in  the  best  order.  You  say  you  took  her 
name  for  fun.  I  wish  you  would  tell  me  just  how  it 
came  about." 

The  girl  looked  at  him  with  a  quick  throb  of  hope. 
259 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

She  knew  he  was  a  good-natured  fellow,  kindly  in- 
different to  most  of  the  serious  affairs  of  life,  that 
he  hated  the  country  and  was  on  his  way  to  Mon- 
treal. He  might  be  willing  to  go  on  and  leave  her 
there.  She  would  return  as  far  as  possible  all  the 
purchases  she  had  no  right  to,  make  restitution  as 
best  she  could  for  those  she  was  unable  to  return, 
and  when  Mrs.  Todd  came  back  in  the  fall,  the  good 
lady  would  never  dream  that  there  had  been  any- 
thing amiss  in  her  absence.  Hancock  was  too  much 
in  love  now  to  notice  her  clothes  and  would  doubtless 
propose  in  a  day  or  two.  She  would  not  allow  her 
former  foolish  weakness  to  tempt  her  to  put  him  off 
again.  She  would  accept  and  then,  indeed,  all  would 
be  well.  Her  cheeks  flushed  again  with  hope  and 
she  breathed  quickly  through  parted  lips,  as  she  told 
him  of  her  arrival,  the  country  people's  mistake  and 
her  mischievous  acceptance  of  it. 

"I  have  done  all  my  work  well,"  she  hurried  on. 
"The  whole  place  is  in  order,  just  as  your  mother 
wanted  it  to  be.  Don't  you  see  it  was  only  for  fun? 
That  party  this  afternoon  was  not  right,  I  know. 
But  I  did  so  want  to  give  one.  This  place  is  like — 
like—" 

"Death,"  suggested  Holmes,  "without  the  pleasant 
excitement  of  a  funeral." 

260 


SOMEWHAT    AWKWARD 

The  girl  nodded.  "Yes,  that's  it.  Well,  I  gave 
the  party.  It  hardly  cost  a  cent.  You  would  be 
surprised.  I  can  return  the  money,  indeed,  I  planned 
and  intended  to  do  so,  out  of  my  salary." 

"Don't,"  advised  Holmes.  "Put  it  down  as  one 
of  the  necessary  expenses.  It  was  necessary  to  keep 
you  from  insanity,  you  know." 

Molly  laughed  with  hysterical  relief  and  nodded 
again. 

Holmes  walked  to  the  door  and  gazed  for  some 
little  time  out  at  the  darkness.  He  thought  he  had 
heard  Algernon  coming  up  the  terrace  steps,  but  it 
seemed  it  was  only  the  gardener,  carrying  in  a  few 
of  the  tables,  and  after  watching  the  fellow  until  he 
disappeared  from  sight,  he  returned  to  the  table 
and  the  girl  awaiting  him  so  eagerly  now. 

"  Ton  my  word,  I  don't  know  what  to  do,"  said 
he,  gazing  down  at  her  in  well-assumed  perplexity. 
"Everything  seems  to  be  all  right  here.  I  want  to 
gq  to  Canada  as  soon  as  I  can — I  was  on  my  way 
there,  you  know,  when  my  motor  broke  down — " 

"Why  don't  you  take  one  of  the  cars  in  the  gar- 
age?" asked  Molly.  "They  are  in  fine  condition  now. 
Joe  is  a  dandy  chauffeur." 

Holmes  pondered  this  suggestion  a  moment,  de- 
cided it  could  not  be  done  without  arousing  Alger- 

261 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

non's  suspicions  and  shrugged  it  away.  "No,  I  had 
better  wait  for  my  own  car.  Those  others  belong  to 
mama,  all  but  the  small  roadster,"  he  added  on  the 
chance  that  it  was  so,  "and  I  had  better  leave  them 
alone — I  expect  my  new  boiler  will  come  any  day 
now,  but — "  He  threw  out  his  hands  helplessly  as 
though  to  suggest  the  embarrassment  of  her  presence 
and  took  a  few  paces  up  and  down. 

Molly  said  nothing,  waiting  as  usual  for  him  to 
take  the  initiative.  She  wondered  why  he  had  not 
noticed  her  expensive  lace  gown  and  the  quaint 
beads  around  her  throat  and  questioned  her  about 
them  as  he  had  been  a  witness  of  the  lawn-party 
irregularity.  Still,  he  was  a  man  and  men  do  not  no- 
tice things  as  a  woman  does.  He  probably  thought 
she  bought  the  dress  out  of  her  own  wages  if  he 
thought  about  it  at  all.  The  price  as  compared  to 
the  wages  she  received  would  not  enter  his  head. 

"I  could  stay  here  a  few  days,  but  it  would  be 
deuced  awkward,"  mused  Holmes  aloud,  as  though 
to  himself  rather  than  to  her.  "I  signed  the  register 
at  the  hotel  as  Patterson  and  it  would  be  a  nine  days' 
wonder  how  I  happened  to  be  Todd  instead.  People 
would  stare  so  and  there  would  be  a  lot  of  disagree- 
able talk.  I  dislike  publicity  more  than  mama  does, 
and  that's  saying  a  good  deal  as  you  probably  know, 

262 


SOMEWHAT   AWKWARD 

Miss  O'Toole.  If  I  let  on  to  mama  what  you — about 
the  lawn  party,  she  would  insist  upon  my  staying 
here — that  is,  if  she  got  word  before  I  had  a  chance 
to  leave — and  if  she  knew  that  I  did  not  know  about 
it,  and  yet  left —  Really,  I  don't  know  what  to  do." 

"Another  housekeeper,"  suggested  the  girl,  fear- 
fully, not  looking  at  him. 

Holmes  nodded.  "I  thought  about  that,  but  it 
would  take  so  deuced  long  to  wait  for  one  to  come. 
See?  That's  my  point.  I  am  anxious  to  get  on  to 
Canada  and  I  expect  my  boiler  will  be  here  to- 
morrow at  the  latest.  I  think — May  I  smoke? 
Thanks — I  think  I  shall  let  things  stand  as  they  are. 
Mama  will  be  here  in  a  fortnight,  now,  and  really, 
there  is  nothing  out  of  the  way.  I'm  sure  mama 
herself  wouldn't  object  to  the  lawn  party.  It  cer- 
tainly did  honor  to  the  name  of  Todd.  I  advise  you 
to  tell  her  about  it,  though.  It's  one  of  those  things 
which  are  all  right  when  mentioned  yourself,  but 
are  a  crime  when  allowed  to  leak  out  through  other 
sources.  She  will  understand.  Believe  me.  You 
were  not  expecting  to  remain  much  longer  after  her 
return,  were  you?  No,  I  thought  not.  Well,  then, 
I'm  going  to  let  things  stand  as  they  are."  He 
nodded  and  laughed  suddenly.  "I  certainly  don't 
blame  you.  It  was — amusing." 

263 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

Molly  nodded,  tried  to  smile,  but  her  relief  was 
too  much  for  her  and  the  tears  sprang  unbidden  to 
her  eyes.  She  struggled  to  force  them  down,  failed, 
and  put  her  head  on  her  arms  along  the  high  chair- 
back.  Holmes  stared  a  moment  in  surprise,  then 
leaned  over  and  laid  his  hand  kindly  on  her 
shoulder. 

"There,"  said  he  with  a  man's  awkward  compas- 
sion, "there,  don't  do  that  It's  all  right." 

The  girl  controlled  herself  in  a  moment,  and 
raised  her  flushed  tear-stained  face  with  a  little 
smile.  "You  are  kind,"  said  she.  "I  shall  be  good 
in  the  future." 

"You  promise,"  asked  Holmes  solemnly,  "if  I 
leave  you  alone  here  and  don't  say  anything  to 
mama  that  there  will  be  no  more  of  these — er — so- 
cial functions?" 

"Yes,  I  do,  indeed." 

"That  if  I  let  you  still  use  the  name  of  Mrs.  Todd 
for  the  fun  of  it,  until  mama  comes  or  you  deem  it 
best  to  drop  it,  you  will  do  nothing  in  her  name  but 
what  ought  to  be  done?  You  won't  take  advantage 
in  any  way  of  my  kindness?" 

"I  promise." 

Holmes  held  out  his  hand  and  she  placed  hers  in 
it.  "I  trust  you,"  said  he  gravely,  "and  I  know  I  can, 

264 


SOMEWHAT   AWKWARD 

for  really,  everything  is  all  right  except  the — lawn 
party."  He  hesitated,  saw  the  desire  to  confess  about 
the  dresses,  the  beads  around  her  slender  throat,  the 
chauffeur,  whom  Mrs.  Todd  did  not  want,  paid  for, 
however,  out  of  her  own  salary,  and  rushed  on  lest 
she  have  chance  to  tell  him  of  her  misdemeanors  and 
he  be  forced  to  discharge  her  or  arouse  her  suspi- 
cions. "I  shall  not  stay  here  at  the  house.  The  hotel 
is  the  last  word  in  human  discomfort,  but  I  expect 
to  be  gone  to-morrow  evening  and  I  can  put  up  with 
it.  I  don't  want  to  excite  talk.  But,  if  I  hold  my 
tongue  to  mama,  you  must  promise  to  hold  your 
tongue  to  your  friends  as  to  who  I  am.  Will  you? 
This  Hancock  and  Worth,  or  even  your  chauffeur, 
Joe,  must  not  know  me  as  any  one  but  Mr.  Patterson. 
If  they  know  of  me  as  Todd  everything  will  have  to 
be  explained  and  I  dislike  explanations.  We'll  both 
keep  quiet,  eh?  I'm  off  to-morrow,  anyway,  so  it 
won't  be  so  hard.  But,  anyway,  promise." 

"I  promise.   But,  I—" 

"Excuse  me  for  interrupting,  but  let's  drop  the 
subject,  what  do  you  say?  It's  late.  I'm  tired  and 
will  be  getting  home.  If  I  don't  get  away  to-mor- 
row, I  may  be  up  again.  But  it  will  be  as  a  friend 
before  people,  understand.  I'm  not  boss  here.  I 
made  a  pretty  good  examination  of  the  place  to-day 

265 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

and  didn't  find  anything  amiss.  Well,  good  night. 
I  don't  blame  you  really.  Ton  my  word,  this  place 
would  be  the  end  of  me  in  a  week,  believe  me. 
When  I'm  gone  take  my  name  if  you  want  and  stir 
things  up  a  bit  masquerading  as  a  man."  He 
laughed  and  strolled  to  the  door. 

At  the  door  he  turned,  shook  hands  again,  and 
chuckling  to  himself,  ran  lightly  down  the  terrace 
steps  and  disappeared  in  the  gloom  of  the  bushes. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

WHEN  YOU  ARE  POOR 

THE  sun  shone  through  the  open  door  of  the 
garage.  It  fell  across  the  floor  in  a  brilliant 
path  in  which  a  cat  sat  industriously  washing  her 
snow-white  breast,  each  paw  flattened  in  turn  against 
her  body.  The  yaller  pup  sprawled  in  the  doorway, 
grunting  now  and  then  in  a  vexed  search  for  fleas, 
and  snapping  angrily  at  the  flies.  Without,  the 
driveway  seemed  to  simmer  in  the  hot  rays  and  the 
grass  looked  brown  and  dying.  From  the  cool  depths 
of  the  distant  trees,  the  birds  all  talked  at  once  as 
though  to  drown  the  monotonous  monologue  of  the 
sea. 

Bates  appeared  in  the  doorway,  ruminatingly 
chewing  a  straw,  his  hat  on  the  back  of  his  head. 
He  watched  Algernon,  busy  with  the  cars,  a  moment 
in  silence  and  then  spoke. 

"Kind  of  dirty  work,  ain't  it?"  he  remarked  pleas- 
antly. 

"Work,"  said  Algernon  in  a  tone  that  would  have 
pleased  his  mother  could  she  have  heard  it,  "work 
that  is  honest,  can  never  soil  the  worker." 

267 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

With  which  noble  sentiment  he  turned  again  to 
oiling  the  runabout,  hoping  to  discourage  the 
groom's  evident  desire  for  conversation. 

Bates  stepped  into  the  cool  shelter  of  the  garage 
and  seated  himself  on  the  stairs  that  led  to  the 
rooms  above. 

"If  I  was  asked  my  opinion,"  said  he,  socially  ar- 
gumentative, "I  would  say  that  you  was  really  dirty 
— let  alone  soiled." 

"You  failed  to  grasp  the  full  significance  of  my 
remark,"  said  Algernon  coldly.  "Your  intellect  sees 
only  the  externals." 

"My  intellect  don't  see  nothing,"  said  Bates  scorn- 
fully. "My  eyes  see  that  you're  dog-goned  dirty, 
though." 

"Soul  blindness  prevents  one  from  seeing  the  real- 
ities oMife  far  more  than  physical  blindness,"  re- 
marked Algernon  sententiously,  wiping  his  heated 
forehead  on  the  sleeve  of  his  shirt. 

"Guess  you've  been  to  high  school,"  said  the 
groom  with  gracious  approval.  "You  talk  as  if 
maybe  you  had." 

"I  have  been,"  admitted  Algernon  modestly. 

"In  New  York?" 

"Not  exactly  in  New  York— out  a  way  in  the 
country — a  boarding  school." 

268 


WHEN    YOU    ARE    POOR 

Bates  looked  his  pity,  surprise  and  forgiveness  all 
at  the  same  time.  "I  won't  say  anything  about  it," 
said  he  kindly. 

"About  what?"  asked  Algernon. 

'The  reform  school,"  said  Bates.  "We  call  them 
that  up  this  way." 

"I  see,"  said  Algernon.   "Thanks,  old  chap." 

Bates  leaned  back  with  his  elbow  on  the  stair 
above  him  and  pushed  his  hat  still  farther  on  the 
back  of  his  head.  He  felt  a  new  and  pleasing  equal- 
ity, in  fact  almost  a  superiority,  to  the  chauffeur. 
Algernon  might  have  lived  in  New  York  and  might 
know  more  about  motor-cars  than  the  groom  im- 
agined it  possible  for  any  one  man  to  know,  yet  had 
he  fallen.  Bates  had  been  rigidly  brought  up,  and 
with  him  there  was  no  compromising  with  evil. 

"Guess  it's  pretty  wicked  down  in  New  York," 
said  he,  breaking  a  long  silence.  "So,  maybe  Mrs. 
Todd  ain't  so  much  to  blame  the  way  she  is  carry- 
ing on." 

Algernon  said  nothing.  There  was  nothing  to 
say.  Bates  chewed  thoughtfully  for  a  time  and  then 
went  on. 

"Hancock  had  better  look  out  or  that  new  chap's 
going  to  cut  him  out,  sure." 

"How's  that?"  Algernon  sat  down  on  the1  step 
269 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

of  the  runabout,  and  like  Bates,  pushed  his  hat  to 
the  back  of  his  head. 

"Why,  what's  he  staying  here  for  but  'cause  she's 
so  pretty?"  demanded  Bates  with  relish  for  an  em- 
bryo romance,  filled  with  pride  in  a  local  product, 
for  Mrs.  Todd  was  such,  in  a  way.  "He  was  up  to 
the  house  all  the  afternoon,  and  stayed  to  supper,  I 
think,  'cause  I  saw  him  coming  through  the  wood- 
path  about  half  after  eight  in  the  evening." 

Algernon  frowned.  "See  here,"  said  he  sternly, 
"Patterson's  car  broke  down — " 

Bates  winked.  "I  know  that,  but — there  ain't  no 
law  against  making  hay  while  you  wait,  is  there?" 

The  telephone  bell  prevented  Algernon  from  re- 
plying. He  put  the  receiver  to  his  ear  and  Molly's 
sweet  voice  in  a  measure  restored  his  equanimity. 

"Is  that  you,  Joe?  I  want  the  car  at  once,  please. 
I  know  I  said  early  this  morning  when  we — er — 
before  breakfast,  that  I  didn't  think  I  would  go  out 
this  morning,  but  I've  changed  my  mind.  Come  into 
the  library  when  you  bring  the  car  around,  I  have 
some  instructions  about  the  cars  I  want  to  give  you." 

"Yes,  ma'am,"  said  Algernon  for  the  benefit  of 
Central  who  he  knew  was  listening.  He  hung 
up  the  receiver,  wondering  if  anything  had  hap- 
pened that  she  should  want  to  see  him  again  in  the 

270 


WHEN    YOU    ARE    POOR 

library,  and  turned  to  gather  up  his  tools,  dismiss- 
ing Bates'  remarks  with  a  busy  wave  of  the  hand. 

Molly  was  waiting  for  him  in  the  library.  Her 
hat  and  veil  were  already  on,  ready  for  the  drive, 
and  she  was  pulling  on  her  gloves,  her  delicate 
brows  drawn  into  a  frown,  one  slender  foot  tapping 
the  floor  impatiently.  The  mail  had  come  and  Al- 
gernon noticed  with  uneasiness  that  there  were  a 
number  of  bills  on  the  table  before  her. 

Molly  nodded  as  he  entered,  while  an  expression 
of  relief  crossed  her  face.  She  took  a  letter  from 
the  table  and  handed  it  to  him.  "This  came  in  the 
morning  mail.  It's  from  my  tailor,  you  see.  He 
wants  his  money.  I  think  that  is  funny.  The  Todds 
surely  never  get  bills  for  months.  No  one  would  ever 
think  of  distrusting  them.  Stores  would  be  honored 
by  their  patronage.  Joe,  do  you  think  there  is  any- 
thing wrong?" 

Algernon  frowned  dubiously.  "Let's  have  a  look 
at  it." 

"I  am  afraid  he  suspects  something,"  murmured 
the  girl,  as  he  read  the  sheet  she  handed  him.  "No- 
body ever  presses  for  his  money  unless  he  thinks 
there  is  something  wrong.  Don't  you  think  so,  Joe?" 

"He  isn't  the  tailor — er — is  he  the  tailor  Mrs. 
Todd  went  to,  do  you  know?"  asked  Algernon, 

271 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

changing  a  statement  into  a  question  as  he  glanced 
up  from  a  perusal  of  the  letter. 

"No.  Mrs.  Todd  sent  a  trunk-load  of  dresses  up 
and  when  I  unpacked  them  I  looked  in  them  and 
found  the  name  of  the  tailor  she  goes  to,  and  I  chose 
another  one.  What  do  you  think?"  And  she 
watched  him  anxiously,  in  pretty  deference. 

"I  think  you  are  right,"  said  Algernon.  "No  one 
would  ask  the  Todds  to  pay  up  so  soon.  Why — " 
He  was  about  to  recount  the  various  lengths  of  time 
he  had  allowed  his  bills  to  run,  and  then  remembered 
that  he  was  not  in  a  position  to  discourse  on  tailors 
and  their  bills  and  credit.  So  he  stopped  abruptly 
and  turned  again  to  the  letter  in  his  hand. 

"Why  what?"  asked  Molly. 

"Why,  I  believe  you  are  right" 

"That  wasn't  what  you  were  going  to  say.  You 
said  that  once." 

"Not  being  a  genius,  I  was  going  to  repeat  my- 
self," smiled  Algernon.  "You  are  right,  I  am  sure." 

Molly  impatiently  drew  off  her  gloves  and  threw 
them  on  the  table,  working  her  interlaced  fingers 
nervously.  It  seemed  the  irony  of  fate  if  her  chance 
to  redeem  herself  should  be  taken  from  her  now. 

"Why  should  he  suspect  ?"  she  asked. 

Algernon  shrugged.    "That's  not  the  question," 
272 


WHEN    YOU    ARE    POOR 

said  he  gently.   "He  apparently  does  suspect.   Some- 
thing has  to  be  done." 

He  reread  the  letter  and  wondered  what  he  could 
do  to  head  the  fellow  off. 

"I'm  not  going — yet,"  declared  the  girl,  with  a 
flash  of  her  blue  eyes.    Her  moment  of  weakness 
yesterday  had  passed,  and  she  would  not  give  u; 
now  when  success  was  so  near.   In  a  day  or  two  Ha*. 
cock  would  propose  and  then  she  could  laugh  at 
tailors  and  their  foolish  bills.    "I  don't  think  I  shall 
notice  it." 

Algernon  shook  his  head.  "I  think  you  ought  to 
take  some  notice  of  it,  Molly.  This  letter  is  serious." 

"I  won't  leave  now.  I  can't,"  protested  the  girl 
and  she  looked  to  Algernon,  sure  that  he  would  help 
and  understand. 

"Have  any  of  the  others  dunned  you?"  asked  Al- 
gernon. 

"No,"  said  Molly  sullenly.  "No  one  but  this  tai- 
lor. If  we  could  only  send  him  a  check."  And  she 
sighed  wearily. 

"If  we  could  only  pay  the  bill,  if  we  were  only 
the  Todds,"  said  Algernon  flippantly. 

But  Molly  did  not  smile.  "I  have  a  check-book, 
you  know.  Mrs.  Todd  put  some  money  in  the  bank 
in  my  name  so  I  would  have  some  ready  cash  to  pay 

273 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

the  servants,  and  for  other  essentials  that  might 
turn  up." 

"How  much  is  left?"  asked  Algernon. 

"None,"  said  Molly,  and  she  glanced  at  him 
quickly  like  a  naughty  child,  blushing  crimson.  In 
her  eyes  was  an  expression  half  of  defiance,  half 
mischief,  wholly  adorable  to  the  enraptured  Alger- 
non who,  instead  of  feeling  righteous  indignation  at 
the  theft  of  his  own,  looked  at  the  saucy  nose,  the 
dimpling  mouth,  the  flushed  angry  face  of  the  thief, 
and  laughed.  The  loss  of  a  few  dollars  would  not 
be  noticed  by  him  one  way  or  the  other  and  Alger- 
non was  not  the  man  to  wear  his  soul  out  counting 
his  ducats.  The  fun  he  was  having  was  worth  the 
price. 

"I  spent  it  all,  or  nearly  all,"  Molly  explained.  "I 
had  to  have  plenty  of  ready  cash,  you  know,  even  up 
here,  if  I  was  to  uphold  the  reputation  of  the  family. 
I  have  a  little  left  in  my  purse  up-stairs,  but  not  half 
enough  to  pay  that  bilL"  She  thought  of  the  prom- 
ise she  had  given  Holmes,  but  crushed  the  thought 
down  by  the  excuse  that  this  was  no  new  misde- 
meanor, merely  self-protection  from  an  old  one 
which  he  had  already  said  he  would  overlook. 

Algernon  frowned  and  thought  vainly  for  a  way 
out  of  the  difficulty. 

274 


WHEN    YOU   ARE    POOR 

"I  have  the  check-book  still,"  said  Molly  slowly, 
in  a  low  voice,  not  looking  at  Algernon. 

"Send  them  a  check,"  suggested  Algernon  sar- 
castically. 

"And  why  not?"  she  flashed  out,  but  she  would 
not  look  at  him. 

"What  good  would  that  do?"  asked  Algernon 
gently.  "The  tailor  doesn't  know  Molly  O'Toole  and 
besides,  the  bank  wouldn't  honor  it  for  it  would 
overdraw  your  account" 

"It  would  honor  the  Todds,"  said  Molly  lowly, 
and  still  she  refused  to  look  at  Algernon,  squeezing 
her  gloves  into  a  small  hard  ball,  and  not  raising 
her  eyes  from  them. 

Algernon  at  last  caught  the  drift  of  her  remarks 
and  stared  for  a  moment  in  dull  surprise. 

"Well  ?  The  only  sin  nowadays  is  the  sin  of  being 
caught.  If  we  can  pass  one  check,  we  can  pass  an- 
other. Then  when  we  do  have  to  go,  we  can  go  with 
plenty  of  money.  In  for  a  lamb,  in  for  a  sheep." 
And  now  she  raised  her  eyes  desperately  and  looked 
straight  at  Algernon. 

Algernon,  taken  aback,  stammered,  "Why,  yes." 

"What  can  we  do?"  she  asked  appealingly,  ac- 
cepting Algernon  as  one  involved  as  completely 
as  herself.  "We  have  to  put  him  off  some  way.  I 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

wrote  last  week,  and  it  didn't  do  any  good.  Besides, 
what's  the  difference  in  signing  Mrs.  Todd's  name 
to  a  check  or  to  a  letter,  as  I  have  been  doing?" 

"I  thought  you  always  put  your  initials  after  her 
name  so  they  would  think  it  was  signed  by  the  sec- 
retary and  not  be  surprised  at  the  signature  in  case 
they  knew  her  writing?"  said  Algernon. 

"We  are  ready  for  the  state  prison  now,"  sneered 
Molly,  waving  the  letter  aside,  "without  doing  any- 
thing more  than  I  have  already  done.  The  letters 
will  convict  me,  nothing  more  is  needed,  and  you 
will  be  sent  up  for  an  accessory  after  and  before  the 
act.  Signing  a  check  would  only  be  one  of  many 
offenses.  It  will  hardly  count."  She  laughed  an- 
grily. "Isn't  it  so?" 

"It  looks  that  way,"  admitted  Algernon  mildly. 

"I  can't  leave  here  now,"  went  on  the  girl  plead- 
ingly. "It's — it's  everything  to  me,  Joe.  You  don't 
seem  to  understand,  but  it  means — a  future.  I  must 
have  one  more  try  for  it.  It  is  such  a  little  thing  to 
do,  signing  another's  name,  and  yet  it  may  mean 
peace  and  contentment  and  rest  all  my  life — if  I  can 
manage  it.  While  if  I  leave  now" —  she  threw  out 
her  hands — "it  means  the  past  to  do  all  over  again, 
only  worse.  Work,  work,  work,  from  morning  to 
night  Pinching  and  pinching,  until  you  wonder 

276 


WHEN    YOU    ARE    POOR 

what  you  were  born  for,  what  use  there  is  in  living. 
Marrying  a  man,  if  you  care  to  marry,  far  beneath 
you,  in  the  social  scale,  because  you  never  have  a 
chance  to  meet  men  in  your  own  station  in  life — 
mated  with  a  clown  or  else  always  a  servant  by  an- 
other name!  Secretary  or  cook,  what's  the  differ- 
ence, both  underlings?  Never  a  moment  or  a  life 
of  your  own,  always  struggling,  the  endless  and 
never-ending  treadmill!  But  if  I  succeed!  I  can 
make  it  up  to  the  Todds  and  they  will  not  have  to 
suffer.  It  will  simply  be  as  if  I  had  borrowed  a  lit- 
tle money  from  them  for  a  short  time." 

She  laid  her  hand  eagerly,  entreatingly  on  Alger- 
non's. All  the  audacity  and  craftiness  had  gone  from 
her  face,  leaving  a  childish  longing  and  pleading  in 
the  beautiful  eyes  and  in  the  earnest  voice,  with  its 
soft  cadence  of  the  springtime.  "All  the  rest  of  my 
life,  Joe,  no  matter  which  way  this  turns  out,  I  shall 
be  good,  I  shall  be  good.  What  is  one  mistake,  one 
slip,  for  a  girl  of  my  age?  I  am  only  twenty-two.  I 
shall  have  fifty,  sixty  years  in  which  to  live  it  down, 
to  repent.  And  it  will  be  so  much  easier  for  me  to 
repent  and  be  sorry  that  I  did  as  I  did  if  I  am  well- 
off  and  happy.  Poverty  knocks  all  repentance  out 
of  any  one.  You  wonder  why  you  didn't  do  worse 
while  you  were  about  it  and  be  successful.  It  makes 

277 


me  feel  that  way.  It  makes  me  want  to  go  and  do  it 
again.  If  I  were  happy  and  rich,  I  could  help  the 
poor  and  needy.  I  could  do  a  world  of  good  with 
the  money  that  would  otherwise  lie  idle,  for  I  should 
understand,  I  have  been  through  the  deadly  grind. 
I  should  know  just  how  and  where  to  help.  Any- 
thing and  everything  is  forgiven  wealth.  Molly 
O'Toole  might  be  a  thief,  but  Mrs.  John  Hancock 
would  be  only  a  cleptomaniac,  to  be  pitied,  not 
blamed.  Ah,  Joe,  give  me  one  more  chance." 

Algernon  looked  down  into  the  pleading  eyes  and 
slowly  shook  his  head.    "I  don't  see  how  you  can 
manage  it,  Molly,"  said  he  gently,  referring  to  her 
marriage  with  Hancock,  not  the  check. 
"I  can,  indeed,  I  can." 
"He  would  announce  the  engagement." 
"I  can  show  him  the  romance  in  a  secret  mar- 
riage." 

Algernon  shrugged. 
"You  will  help,  Joe,  just  once  more?" 
"We  don't  know  Mrs.  Todd's  signature." 
"Yes,  we  do,  Joe,  on  all  the  letters  she  writes  me." 
"How  could  we  copy  it?   Carbon  paper  isn't  any 
good." 

"I  can  write  it  over  and  over  until  I  shall  be  able 
to  make  it  fairly  well." 

278 


WHEN    YOU    ARE    POOR 

But  Algernon  shook  his  head  as  a  ray  of  light 
and  hope  came  to  him.  "It  would  have  to  be  perfect, 
or  with  his  suspicions  already  aroused,  the  tailor 
would  be  able  to  detect  it  right  away.  Maybe  if  you 
had  Todd's  signature  anywhere,  I  could  make  a  try 
at  it.  If  the  tailor  receives  a  letter  from  Todd,  en- 
closing a  check  and  saying  the  Todds  do  not  care  to 
deal  with  him  any  longer,  it  would  be  effective,  more 
effective  than  if  coming  from  the  old  lady,  and  the 
tailor  won't  think  anything  of  Todd's  being  up 
here.  Those  wealthy  chaps  travel  all  the  time.  You 
can't  ever  keep  track  of  them." 

Molly  nodded,  and  running  to  a  small  table  in  the 
corner,  caught  up  a  large  flat  book,  and  hurried 
back.  "Here,"  said  she.  "I  was  looking  at  it  yes- 
terday." She  laid  the  book  on  the  table  and  opened 
it  quickly  at  the  fly-leaf.  "See !  Algernon  must  have 
given  it  to  his  father.  Here  is  his  name.  I  know 
that  is  not  Mrs.  Todd's  writing,  nor  is  it  Mr.  Todd's. 
His  name  was  Phineas.  I  have  seen  it  in  some  books 
and  it  can  be  read.  This  can't  be,  unless  you  sort 
of  look  at  it  quickly  and  get  the  meaning  by  in- 
spiration." 

Algernon  studied  his  original  penmanship 
sprawled  over  the  page  and  hoped  that  he  was  not 
blushing. 

279 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"It  is  going  to  be  hard  to  copy,"  said  the  girl 
pleadingly.  "Will  you  do  it?  Will  you,  Joe?" 

Algernon  bent  hastily  and  examined  his  own  writ- 
ing critically  and  with  great  care.  He  was,  as  Bates 
admiringly  expressed  it,  "a  dead  game  sport,"  and 
to  give  up  the  pleasure  of  winning  the  girl  in  the 
humble  capacity  of  a  chauffeur,  of  driving  away  her 
bitterness  and  deceit  by  the  power  of  his  love,  never 
entered  his  head.  Molly  must  be  made  to  love  him 
for  himself  alone,  for  his  sake  embrace  willingly, 
gladly,  that  poverty  she  hated  so.  He  glanced  up 
and  the  girl  saw  the  consent  in  his  eyes. 

"Joe,  you  will?"  she  cried  joyfully. 

"I  shall  try  to.  Where  is  the  check-book?" 

"Joe,  you're  a  dear.  I  shall  get  it."  She  gave  him 
a  tender  little  pat  on  the  arm  that  made  Algernon 
thrill  as  though  he  had  touched  an  electric  battery 
and  his  foolish  heart  fluttered  as  it  had  never  done 
before. 

"I  shall  wait  out  in  the  car,"  said  he.  "The  serv- 
ants will  wonder  what's  up  if  we  stay  here  talking 
much  longer." 

"Here,  you  forgot  this,"  and  Molly  tore  the  leaf 
from  the  book  and  held  it  out  to  him. 

"Jove!  so  I  did."  And  Algernon  folded  the  leaf 
carefully  and  put  it  in  his  pocket 

280 


WHEN    YOU    ARE    POOR 

Molly  took  the  check-book  out  to  him  in  the  car. 
"Do  it  as  soon  as  you  can,  won't  you  ?"  she  begged. 

"Yes,"  said  Algernon.  "Are  you  coming  for  a 
drive?  You  had  better.  It  will  do  you  good." 

She  hesitated  and  then  nodded. 

That  evening  Algernon  slipped  away  from  the 
assiduous  attentions  of  the  parlor  maid,  and  unseen 
by  even  Bates,  made  his  way  to  the  east  terrace.  He 
entered  the  dining-room  by  one  of  the  long  windows 
he  found  open  to  the  warm  air  of  the  summer  night. 
Molly  was  just  descending  the  wide  oak  stairs. 

Coming  out  of  the  shadows  of  the  upper  hall  into 
the  rosy  light  below,  she  made  a  dainty  be- 
witching picture  in  her  soft  white  silk  dress  as  she 
paused  on  the  last  step  of  the  wide  stairway.  Alger- 
non stared  in  frank  admiration  and  felt  that  it  would 
be  no  hard  matter  to  persuade  Hancock  to  elope  on 
any  provocation  and  for  any  reason,  no  matter  how 
foolish  and  illogical. 

"Did  you  do  it?"  she  questioned  eagerly. 

Algernon  handed  her  the  check  carefully  made 
out  and  signed  by  his  barely  decipherable  scrawl. 

Molly  scanned  it  critically,  taking  it  to  the  lamp 
and  reading  it  slowly,  over  and  over  again.  "I  think 
it  is  fine,"  said  she,  looking  up.  "Was  it  hard?" 

"Not  very,"  admitted  Algernon. 
281 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

She  laid  her  hand  on  his  shoulder  and  held  the 
check  out  to  him  with  one  of  her  sudden  impulsive 
changes.  "Take  it,"  said  she  gently.  "I  can't  keep 
it.  Joe,  what  do  you  think  I  am  made  of  that  I 
should  let  you  forge?  Of  course,  I  won't.  I  was 
mad  this  morning  even  to  mention  it  to  you.  Forget 
it,  boy,  and  take  the  check." 

Algernon  caught  her  hand,  check  and  all,  in  both 
of  his  and  drew  her  to  him.  "Molly,  keep  it,  dear. 
I  want  you  to.  You  can  give  it  back  to  me  a  hun- 
dred times  over,  when — you  are  married." 

"Give  it  back  to  you?"  she  questioned,  and  the 
tender  light  died  from  her  eyes  with  the  want  of 
logic  of  a  woman  in  love.  He  did  not  care  if  she 
did  marry  Hancock.  Well,  then  she  would  marry 
him  and  show  Joe  that  she  didn't  care  either,  and 
she  drew  away  from  Algernon,  in  wounded  pride, 
the  check  in  her  hand.  And  Algernon,  wondering 
what  he  had  done,  answered  her  in  all  innocence. 

"Yes,  when  you  are  married.  And  then  I  can 
send  it  to  this  Todd  and  make  it  all  right  with  him." 

"Yes,"  said  she  coldly.  "I  see.  I  can  and  will.  I 
shall  type  a  letter  to-night  and  you  can  sign  it,  if 
you  don't  mind,  or  no,  I  shall  sign  it  and  put  my 
initials  underneath,  and  the  man  will  think  it  is 
from  the  secretary.  That  will  be  all  right"  She 

282 


WHEN    YOU   ARE    POOR 

held  out  her  hand.  "Thanks  so  very  much,"  she 
drawled,  playing  the  great  lady  again  with  happy 
affectation.  "I  am  sure  I  am  a  thousand  times 
obliged."  She  smiled  sweetly,  graciously,  as  one 
would  in  return  for  a  passing  favor  rendered  by  a 
stranger. 

Algernon  bowed  ceremoniously.  "It  was  a  pleas- 
ure, I  assure  you,"  said  he. 

"But  no  less  a  kindness,"  she  drawled. 

She  gathered  up  her  silken  wrap,  hanging  over 
the  back  of  a  chair,  and  Algernon  gallantly  adjusted 
it  about  her  shoulders,  and  side  by  side,  they  strolled 
to  the  door,  Molly  trailing  her  clinging  draperies 
with  a  childish  pleasure  in  their  silken  rustle.  Al- 
gernon opened  the  door,  and  with  a  graceful  in- 
clination of  her  small  head,  she  passed  through. 

On  the  terrace,  the  girl  paused  and  glanced  down 
the  driveway,  among  the  shadows  of  the  trees,  in 
the  direction  of  the  great  iron  gates. 

"Come  on  down  to  the  rocks,"  begged  Algernon, 
knowing  for  whom  she  was  looking.  "Give  me  this 
evening.  He  has  had  all  the  other  ones." 

"Business  before  pleasure,"  said  she  flippantly, 
and  Algernon  winced  in  the  darkness. 

"All  work  and  no  play,  you  know,"  he  returned 
lightly. 

283 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

She  laughed.  "That  is  what  I  am  trying  to  guard 
against  in  the  future,"  said  she.  "If  I  succeed,  what 
a  glorious  playtime  I  shall  have." 

She  leaned  against  a  stone  post  among  the  vines 
and  hummed  to  herself  a  tender  love  song  of  long 
ago. 

"You  are  money  mad,"  said  Algernon  angrily. 
"Can't  you  see  anything  but  the  dollar  mark, 
Molly?" 

"When  you  are  poor,  you  can't  afford  to,"  said 
she.  "When  you  are  rich,  you  can.  That  is  why  I 
want  to  be  rich.  Too  much  looking  at  the  dollar 
mark  leaves  it  on  one's  face." 

Algernon  sat  down  on  the  balustrade  beside  her 
and  gazed  at  the  soft  tumble  of  hair  on  her  neck,  and 
at  her  perfect  profile  of  cheek  and  chin.  He  was  car- 
ried away,  enmeshed  in  the  bewitching  physical 
beauty  of  the  girl,  and  her  words  hardly  penetrated 
his  working  consciousness. 

Sometimes  they  talked,  sometimes  lapsed  into  si- 
lence, listening  to  the  huge  ocean  in  its  everlasting 
unrest  like  the  unrest  of  the  soul,  and  the  shrill  pro- 
test of  the  bell-buoy  like  the  protest  of  one's  reason 
against  things  as  they  are  and  should  not  be.  It  was 
a  perfect  night,  cool  and  fragrant.  Far  overhead, 

284 


WHEN    YOU    ARE    POOR 

the  stars  twinkled  radiantly  and  from  the  trees  a 
whippoorwill  called  and  called. 

Algernon  drew  the  girl,  unresisting,  down  to  the 
balustrade  beside  him,  and  it  was  some  time  later 
before  either  realized  that  Hancock  had  not  come 
as  usual  that  night. 

"Do  you  know,  your  voice  in  the  darkness  makes 
me  think  of  some  one,  Joe,"  said  she,  after  a  long 
while. 

"Whom  ?"  asked  Algernon. 

She  shook  her  head.  "I  simply  can't  place  you, 
but  at  is  familiar,  and  especially  in  the  dark,  on  a 
night  so  soft  and  still — " 

She  fell  silent,  trying  to  recall  that  haunting  recol- 
lection of  another  night.  Gradually  her  thoughts 
turned  to  her  present  position  and  finally  to  the  fact 
that  Hancock  had  not  come.  She  knew  he  was  jeal- 
ous and  she  knew,  with  her  woman's  wisdom  in  such 
things,  that  she  could  get  him  back  in  time  but  would 
she  have  the  time?  Patterson  might  remain  a  day  or 
two  longer  and  hang  around  the  place  as  he  had 
suggested  he  might,  and  Mrs.  Todd  herself  would 
be  back  in  a  short  time  now.  Would  the  last  weeks 
all  go  for  nothing?  The  thought  was  intolerable  and 
she  rose  quickly. 

285 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"I  think  I  shall  go  in,"  said  she. 

Algernon  sank  to  sleep  that  night  filled  with  the 
first  sweet  hopes  of  success.  He  would  win  her  yet, 
not  by  his  money,  but  by  his  love. 

Molly  tossed  and  tumbled  in  the  great  canopied 
bed  of  the  absent  Mrs.  Todd,  filled  with  the  first 
bitter  forebodings  of  failure.  She  would  not  fail! 
As  Mrs.  John  Hancock  all  would  be  forgiven  her,  if 
it  could  not  be  concealed.  While  as  Molly  O'Toole, 
or  plain  Mrs.  Holmes ! 

"Oh,  Joe,  if  I  didn't  love  you  so,"  she  thought 
miserably,  staring  at  the  summer  star  shining 
through  the  open  window,  "it  wouldn't  be  so  hard. 
I  wouldn't  have  acted  as  I  did  the  other  day.  I  was 
a  fool,  but  I  won't  be  again,  if  I  only  have  another 
chance,  just  one  more  chance." 


CHAPTER  XIV 
A  WOMAN'S  REASON 

EVERY  morning  Algernon  and  Molly  met  in 
the  tiny  cove  and  swam  far  out  to  sea,  leaving 
the  old  brown  cloak  and  the  gaudy  horse  blanket.  In 
the  evenings,  if  Hancock  did  not  come,  Algernon 
would  take  the  girl  out  in  the  car  and  their  souls 
would  grow  as  one  in  the  swift  flight  through  the 
vast  darkness  of  the  night  and  the  total  annihilation 
of  all  speed  laws  and  regulations. 

But  as  the  days  passed,  and  Hancock  did  not  come 
at  all  to  Castle  Crags,  Molly  grew  morose  and  un- 
approachable. She  took  long  rides  in  the  car,  but 
insisted  on  sitting  in  the  tonneau  and  refused  to  ex- 
change a  word  with  the  harassed  young  chauffeur 
on  the  front  seat. 

Late  one  evening,  as  they  were  returning  home 
from  a  long  lonely  drive  far  up  the  coast,  he  had 
persuaded  her  to  come  and  sit  beside  him  as  she  had 
been  wont  to  do  when  she  took  lessons  in  the  art  of 
running  a  motor-car.  She  was  tired  and  worried,  but 
fighting  against  the  ruin  of  all  her  plans  with  a  cer- 
tain grim  strength  Algernon  could  not  but  admire. 

287 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

He  knew  that  Patterson  had  come  to  the  house  quite 
often  during  the  week  and  wondered  why  she  stood 
the  fellow  if  he  were  keeping  Hancock  away.  Han- 
cock was  of  a  sensitive  nature.  He  had  surely  heard 
the  gossip  of  the  village  that  the  stranger  was  cut- 
ting him  out  and  with  a  foolish  pride  preferred  to 
remain  away  in  haughty  aloofness.  But  why  Molly 
did  not  get  rid  of  Patterson  perplexed  Algernon.  If 
she  would,  Hancock  would  come  back  the  sooner. 

He  helped  her  to  the  seat  beside  him,  and  she 
thanked  him  with  a  gentleness  born  of  her  tired 
nerves.  Her  mouth  drooped  pathetically  and  her 
glorious  eyes  asked  dumbly  for  his  sympathy,  for 
she  was  a  woman  and  craved  the  help  and  support 
of  another  with  all  of  a  woman's  nervous  longing. 

They  ran  slowly  for  a  while,  and  Algernon,  glanc- 
ing at  her  now  and  then,  longed  miserably  to  take 
her  in  his  arms  and  kiss  away  her  troubles.  In  her 
unhappiness  she  was  a  thousand  times  more  fasci- 
nating, gentler,  sweeter,  than  when  she  laughed  at 
him  boldly  and  sneered  at  love  in  brazen  triumph 
of  her  near  success.  To  win  her  and  relieve  her 
anxiety  by  revealing  his  identity  was  not  for  a  mo- 
ment contemplated  by  Algernon,  did  not  even  enter 
his  head ;  sooner  would  he  have  surrendered  at  once 
and  let  Hancock  have  her. 

288 


A    WOMAN'S    REASON 

They  came  to  a  sheltered  part  of  the  road  and 
Molly  had  removed  her  hat  when  Algernon,  glanc- 
ing at  her  again,  felt  all  his  strength  go  with  a  rush, 
and  stooping,  kissed  the  delicate  rose-pink  cheek  so 
near  his  shoulder. 

Molly  blushed  furiously,  looked  for  a  moment  as 
though  she  would  become  angry  and  then  suddenly, 
to  Algernon's  surprised  consternation,  burst  into 
tears. 

"Molly,  Molly,"  he  begged  tenderly,  contritely. 

"Oh,  Joe,"  she  sobbed  like  a  tired  child,  "suppose 
things  should  all  go  wrong?" 

"They  won't,  dear,"  he  reassured  her.  "Trust 
me." 

"But  John  Hancock  hasn't  been  over  for  a  week, 
and  I  tell  you,  Joe,  he  is  jealous." 

"Dear,"  said  Algernon,  "he  will  be  back  again, 
jealousy  or  no  jealousy.  He  couldn't  help  himself. 
But  he  will  come  sooner,  Molly,  if  you  will  dis- 
courage that  Patterson  fellow." 

Molly  blushed  and  for  a  moment  said  nothing.  "I 
don't  encourage  him,  Joe,"  said  she  slowly  at  last. 
"He  is  lonely  in  the  village  and  comes  out  to  read 
the  books  in  the  library.  That  is  all  he  does.  He  is 
in  there  nearly  all  the  time.  We  hardly  say  a  word 
to  each  other." 

289 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"He  has  his  nerve,"  muttered  Algernon. 

"I  know,  it  does  seem  cheeky,  but  it  isn't,  Joe, 
really.  I  said  for  him  to  come.  He  has  nothing  to 
read,  and  the  days  are  so  deadly  dull  for  him  at  that 
awful  hotel.  He  is  going  any  day,  too.  I  am  sorry 
for  him.  I  can't  turn  him  away." 

"You  are  an  angel,"  declared  Algernon. 

Molly  was  in  a  way  comforted.  She  dried  her 
eyes  and  mused  for  a  moment  on  what  had  been  said. 
"I  should  think  John  would  see  how  silly  and  child- 
ish he  is,"  said  she.  "He  ought  to  be  man  of  the 
world  enough  to  understand  how  I  must  meet  other 
men  in  the  capacity  of  Mrs.  Todd.  I  think  he  is 
childish,  silly." 

"He's  desperately  in  love,"  returned  Algernon. 
"Love  is  a  mild  form  of  insanity,  Molly." 

"Notjmild,  in  some  people,"  said  the  girl,  think- 
ing of  her  foolish  yielding  to  its  call  when  suc- 
cess was  in  her  grasp. 

"Forget  him,"  pleaded  Algernon.  "I'm  fighting 
for  your  soul,  Molly.  Help  me  save  it  from  the 
money  market." 

"I  am  fighting  for  it,"  she  flashed  with  a  quick 
return  of  her  old  unconquerable  determination. 
"With  money,  my  soul  will  be  above  temptation. 
Without  it!  God,  Joe,  you  don't  understand  what 

290 


A    WOMAN'S    REASON 

poverty  means  to  a  girl,  alone,  unprotected  and 
fairly  pretty!  The  soul  hunger  that  is  worse  than 
the  bodily!  The  terrible  longings  and  the1  awful 
temptations !  And  beneath  you,  Joe,  waiting  to  catch 
you  when  you  totter  and  seem  likely  to  fall,  the  ever- 
lasting arms — of  some  man,  reaching  to  drag  you 
lower  in  the  mire."  She  laughed  bitterly  and  her 
expression  grew  sullen  and  hard. 

Algernon  flushed  and  felt  painfully  his  inability 
to  comfort  her.  He  had  all  of  a  rich  person's  utter 
disbelief  in  the  grinding  misery  of  poverty.  "I  know 
it's  hard,"  he  muttered. 

"Sherman  was  wrong,"  the  girl  went  on.  "Com- 
pared to  poverty,  war  is  paradise.  In  war  you  are 
either  shot  outright  and  your  troubles  are  over  with, 
or  you  are  wounded  and  there  is  some  one  to  take 
care  of  you  and  pull  you  through,  some  one  respon- 
sible for  you,  the  government.  If  you  are  poverty- 
stricken,  you  stand  alone,  every  one  is  against  you. 
There  is  no  one  to  turn  to,  no  one  to  help  you,  unless 
you  want  to  suffer  the  terrible  stigma  of  charity." 
She  threw  out  her  hands  with  a  gesture  of  the  hope- 
lessness of  life  as  she  had  known  it. 

"Molly,  trust  me,  dear,"  begged  Algernon.  "I 
can  and  always  will  take  care  of  you.  Trust  me,  trust 
me,  that  is  all  I  ask." 

291 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

She  shook  her  head,  but  made  no  reply,  and  Al- 
gernon, somehow  encouraged  by  her  silence,  which 
was  no't,  after  all,  he  told  himself,  a  refusal,  fell  si- 
lent, too. 

The  next  morning,  he  waited  and  waited  on  the 
tiny  beach,  but  no  Molly  met  him  in  the  fragrant 
woods  at  the  parting  of  the  ways,  or  awaited  him  in 
girlish  eagerness  on  the  pebble-strewn  sands  of  the 
little  beach.  He  took  a  lonely  dismal  swim  and  won- 
dered what  was  the  matter  with  her,  missing  her 
more  than  he  believed  possible.  To  make  certain  that 
she  had  not  overslept,  he  waited  on  the  beach  until 
the  stable  clock  struck  eight  and  still  she  had  not 
come,  and  he  trailed  back  in  lonely  misery  through 
the  woods. 

No,  Molly  said  in  answer  to  his  question  over  the 
telephone,  she  did  not  care  to  go  out  in  the  car  that 
morning.  She  was  going  in  the  motor-boat.  Bates 
would  go  with  her.  He  had  before  and  she  trusted 
him  fully.  He  was  very  good  at  that  kind  of  thing. 
Good-by. 

In  the  afternoon,  for  the  first  time  since  Alger- 
non's engagement  as  chauffeur,  she  ordered  the 
stately  if  uncertain  Elizabeth  to  be  brought  to  the 
door,  and  in  solitary  majesty,  in  the  high  dog-cart, 
she  went  to  drive  by  herself.  Thoroughly  wretched, 

292 


A    WOMAN'S    REASON 

wondering  what  he  had  done  to  displease  her,  Al- 
gernon got  out  the  roadster  and  went  for  a  ride. 

It  was  a  glorious  afternoon,  clear  and  cool,  with 
a  tinge  of  sharpness  in  the  air  that  made  the  pulses 
leap  and  throb.  The  fall  comes  early  in  Maine  and 
already,  here  and  there,  the  leaves  were  turning, 
transforming  a  branch  into  a  flaming  sword  among 
the  green.  Algernon  did  three  miles  in  as  many 
minutes  and  then  slowed  up  just  before  the  descent 
to  the  village  which  Elizabeth  had  taken  so  gal- 
lantly the  day  of  his  arrival,  for  he  had  noticed  the 
top-heavy  dog-cart  at  the  bottom  of  the  hill,  ap- 
parently stationary  in  the  middle  of  the  country 
road.  He  stopped  the  car  and  approached  on  foot. 
He  was  glad  the  horse  was  balking,  and  he  had  no 
desire  to  repeat  the  pipe  performance  just  yet.  He 
wanted  to  speak  to  the  girl. 

Molly  was  leaning  back  dejectedly  in  one  corner, 
the  reins  hanging  loosely  from  her  hands,  her  whole 
slim  figure  betokening  a  great  weariness.  She  was 
pale,  Algernon  noticed,  and  heavy-eyed,  while  her 
pretty  mouth,  with  its  soft  curves  of  girlhood,  was 
grimly  set.  Beside  her  sat  the  yaller  pup,  to  whom 
she  had  taken  a  whimsical  fancy,  ears  drooping,  tail 
drooping,  as  wobegone  as  the  girl  and  the  dreary 
horse. 

293 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

The  horse  was  headed  toward  North  Brockton. 
Molly  had  been  too  engrossed  in  her  own  thoughts 
to  heed  the  sound  of  the  automobile  stopping  on  the 
hill  behind  her  and  was  not  aware  of  Algernon's 
approach  until  he  stepped  up  to  the  cart  and  smiled 
at  her,  hat  in  hand. 

"Hello,"  said  he.    "On  your  way  to  the  village?" 

She  bowed  coldly  and  for  a  moment  struggled  to 
remain  distant,  behind  the  barriers  of  mistress  to 
impudent  servant,  and  Algernon  felt  the  old  embar- 
rassment beginning  to  mount  in  him  and  nullify 
every  intelligent  thought. 

"I  do  not  know  when  I  shall  get  there,  but  I  am 
on  my  way,"  said  she,  and  smiled  irresistibly,  a  sud- 
den mischievous,  half-child,  half- woman  glee  sweep- 
ing over  her  face  in  joyous  recognition  of  her  fool- 
ish predicament.  Algernon  laughed  with  relief.  She 
was  the  same,  quaint  and  laughing  and  adorable, 
like  the  clove  pinks  and  johnny-jump-ups,  back  in 
his  mother's  old-fashioned  garden. 

"Did  you  forget  to  set  the  alarm  clock?"  he  asked 
gaily.  "I  waited  and  waited  for  you  this  morning 
and  you  did  not  come." 

She  smiled  again  and  then  frowned,  recalling  her 
determination  of  last  night  that  it  would  be  best  for 
all  concerned  to  discourage  Joe  a  bit  more  than  she 

294 


A    WOMAN'S    REASON 

was   doing.     "I    am   sorry  you   waited,"   said  she 
gravely. 

She  gathered  up  the  reins  and  chirruped  to  Eliza- 
beth, plainly  wishing  to  avoid  his  society.  Elizabeth 
flicked  her  tail  slowly,  flopped  one  small  ear  and 
stood  still. 

"It's  no  use,"  laughed  Algernon.  "You  can't  leave 
me  with  Elizabeth  as  the  motor  power.  I  want  to 
talk  to  you.  I  am  going  to  get  in." 

He  pushed  the  dog  along  and  climbed  in. 

"Please,"  begged  the  girl  with  a  sudden  rush  of 
consternation.  "There  is  nothing  to  talk  about." 

"Yes,  there  is,"  contradicted  Algernon  promptly. 
"Why  didn't  you  come  in  swimming  this  morning?" 

"Because,"  said  she. 

"Because,"  said  he,  "is  a  woman's  reason." 

"I  am  a  woman,"  said  she. 

He  laughed  in  gay  derision.  "You're  a  little  tiny 
girl.  Just  about  four  years  old." 

Her  face  darkened  wistfully.  "I  wish  I  were," 
said  she. 

"You  are,"  said  he. 

"I  shall  tell  you  what  I  am,"  said  she  with  a  quick 
rush  of  self-disgust.  "I  am  a  swindler  and  a  forger." 

She  looked  at  him  defiantly  and  Algernon  flushed. 

"I  forged  the  check,"  said  he. 
295 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"You  did  it  for  me,  so  I  am  to  blame." 

"You  told  me  not  to  and  I  insisted." 

"Piffle,  and  you  know  it,  Joe.  I  am  all  to  blame. 
I  have  led  you  into  crime  and  it's  weighing  on  me 
terribly,  Joe.  I  wish  you  would  go  away.  Go  on 
north  to  your  relatives." 

"Dear,"  said  Algernon,  laying  his  hand  on  hers. 
"I  didn't  cut  my  first  tooth  yesterday." 

"I  know,  but  you  never  forged  before  you  met  me. 
I  made  you  lose  your  honor  and  I  wish  you  would 
go  away.  Think  of  your  mother,  Joe." 

"My  mother  will  never  know,  dear.  Don't  worry 
about  my  honor.  Think  of  your  own." 

She  winced  as  though  he  had  struck  her  and  grew 
slowly  white.  "I  have  none,"  said  she  hotly. 

"Not  if  you  sell  yourself  body  and  soul,  body  and 
soul,  Mblly,  to  the  highest  bidder." 

"I  haven't  yet" 

"You  will.  He  will  ask  you,  but  before  he  does 
take  my  advice,  Molly,  and  tell  him  who  you  are, 
tell  him  all.  He  loves  you — " 

"Love!"  she  sneered,  tears  in  her  voice.  "He  will 
love  his  honor  more." 

"Try  him,"  pleaded  Algernon  earnestly,  leaning 
toward  her  that  he  might  see  beneath  the  brim  of 
her  hat.  "Try  him,  Molly.  Go  to  him  with  nothing 

296 


A    WOMAN'S    REASON 

concealed,  clean  and  sweet  and  true  as  you  can  be 
when  you  want  to.  He  cares  for  you.  He  will  un- 
derstand— " 

"Understand!  He  has  forty  millions.  What  can 
a  man  with  that  amount  understand  about  tempta- 
tion, about  hunger  and  sickness  and  poverty?" 

"What  if  he  doesn't  understand,  he  will  forgive. 
We  all  have  to  be  forgiven,  sooner  or  later,  Molly." 

"He's  a  man,"  she  sneered.  "And  it's  only  women 
who  can  forgive,  seventy  times  seven." 

"There's  no  sex  in  love,  Molly.  A  man's  is  the 
same  as  a  woman's,  and  love  forgives  everything." 

"And  if  he  forgives  me  and  still  wants  to  marry 
me,  would  you  advise  me  to  take  him?"  she  ques- 
tioned almost  fiercely. 

"Yes,"  said  Algernon  slowly,  "if  you  do  not  care 
for  another  more." 

"Sell  myself,  body  and  soul?"  she  taunted  him 
gleefully,  for  she  read  the  love  in  his  voice  even 
when  he  advised  her  to  accept  Hancock. 

"I  know,  but  I  have  been  thinking  about  what  you 
said  yesterday  and  I  would  rather  think  of  you  mar- 
ried to  Hancock,  safe  and  protected,  than  out  in  the 
world  alone,  if  you  won't  marry  me.  You  will  learn 
to  love  him,  and  he  will  take  care  of  you,  anyway." 

Elizabeth  showed  signs  of  returning  life,  and 
297 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

Molly  gathered  up  the  reins.  "I  have  waited  so 
long,  I  think  I  shall  go  back  now,  instead  of  to  the 
village  as  I  intended,"  said  she,  thankful  to  dismiss 
the  subject.  "Shall  I  drive  you  home,  Joe?" 

"No,  thanks,"  said  Algernon.  "I  have  my  car 
back  there.  I  left  it  up  the  road  a  bit." 

He  climbed  out  and  she  watched  him  with  puck- 
ered brows. 

"Are  you  angry  with  me?"  she  asked  timidly. 

"Lord!"  laughed  Algernon.  "Angry  with  a  lit- 
tle girl!" 

"But  I  am  not  a  little  girl,"  she  protested  sadly. 
"I  don't  believe  I  ever  was  one.  Poverty's  children 
are  never  children,  simply  small  editions  of  grown- 
ups." 

"Rot!"  argued  Algernon,  helpless  as  he  always 
was  in  the  face  of  the  poverty  she  seemed  to  know 
so  much  about 

Elizabeth  signified  her  readiness  to  depart,  and 
Algernon  stood  back  and  watched  the  top-heavy 
cart  majestically  turn  and  start  up  the  hill  toward 
Castle  Crags.  Then  he  returned  thoughtfully  to  his 
car  and  thoughtfully  cranked  it  up. 

As  he  approached  the  village,  he  saw  Holmes 
coming  toward  him  in  the  grass  by  the  wayside.  As 

298 


A    WOMAN'S    REASON 

they  drew  nearer  each  other,  Holmes  recognized 
him  and  stepped  aside,  motioning  for  him  to  stop. 

"I  was  on  my  way  out  to  see  you,"  said  Holmes, 
coming  up  to  the  car  and  leaning  against  it,  as  he 
tossed  away  a  half-smoked  cigarette  and  pushed  his 
hat  on  the  back  of  his  head. 

He  looked  worried  and  sick.  His  sallow  face  was 
thinner  and  more  sallow  than  ever  and  he  had  dark 
circles  under  his  eyes  as  though  he  had  not  slept. 
He  laid  one  hand  on  the  car  and  Algernon  noticed 
that  it  twitched  now  and  then  as  if  with  nerves  on 
edge. 

"Hasn't  that  boiler  come  yet?"  asked  Algernon 
sympathetically. 

Holmes  shook  his  head.  "No.  I  am  having  the 
deuce  of  a  time  with  it.  I  can't  imagine  what's  the 
matter  and  besides — say,  can't  I  get  in?  I  want  to 
talk  with  you." 

"Certainly,"  said  Algernon.  "Get  in  and  we  can 
go  somewhere  for  a  bit  of  a  ride." 

Neither  spoke  until  they  had  left  North  Brockton 
behind  and  had  taken  a  lonely  road  over  the  hills 
away  from  the  sea,  then  Holmes  broke  the  silence 
that  had  fallen  between  them. 

"The  truth  is,  Todd,  I'm  in  the  deuce  of  a  fix." 
299 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

He  drew  out  his  cigarettes,  lighted  one  and  puffed 
at  it  nervously. 

"I  thought  you  were  heading  pretty  straight  for 
Canada  that  night  we  turned  you  back.  What's  the 
matter?  Get  into  trouble  when  you  were  in  New 
York?" 

"Yes.  I  thought  you  were  the  police  after  me  that 
night,  and  I  took  that  by-road  to  turn  you  off  my 
track.  I — er — I  was  damned  hard  up.  You  don't 
know  anything  about  it  with  your  millions.  But  I 
was  stony  broke,  desperate.  I — er — I  forged." 
Holmes  did  not  look  at  Algernon,  but  busied  himself 
with  selecting  and  lighting  another  cigarette,  hav- 
ing thrown  the  first  away  after  a  few  puffs. 

Algernon  nodded  slowly,  stopped  the  car  and 
leaned  on  the  wheel,  facing  his  companion  that  he 
might  give  the  latter  his  closest  attention. 

"I  got  out  of  town  and  would  have  been  in  Can- 
ada by  this  time  if  my  machine  hadn't  broken 
down,"  went  on  Holmes.  "I  got  a  tip  to-day  that 
the  forgery  is  known — they  are  looking  for  me.  It's 
deuced  awkward,  believe  me." 

Again  Algernon  nodded,  catching  the  drift  of  the 
other's  remarks.  Holmes  had  done  him  a  good  turn 
and  was  now  looking  for  his  reward. 

"I  haven't  any  money.  I  must  have  some,"  said 
300 


A    WOMAN'S    REASON 

Holmes  simply,  with  no  air  of  bravado.  He  was 
clearly  a  much-frightened  man,  and  Algernon  pitied 
him.  "I  can't  get  my  boiler  unless  I  have  enough 
to  pay  expenses  and  if  it  doesn't  come  in  time,  I 
must  have  some  money  to  get  away  on  the  train  with. 
I  am  stony  broke." 

Algernon  nodded.  "I  can  telegraph  my  lawyers  to 
forward  you  some,"  said  he  slowly,  "but  that  would 
be  awkward  for  both  of  us.  My  cousin  has  a  check- 
book and  I  can  get  it  from  her  on  some  pretext  or 
other  and  give  you  a  check.  That  will  be  the  best. 
You  can  wait  a  day  or  two,  can't  you  ?" 

Holmes'  eyes  gleamed  with  relief,  and  he  wet  his 
dry  lips  with  his  tongue.  "You're  all  right,  Todd, 
believe  me,"  he  declared  gratefully,  holding  out  his 
hand.  "Yes,  I  shall  be  all  right  for  a  day  or  so.  I 
have  a  pal  in  the  city  who  will  give  me  a  tip  when 
to  move  on.  I  shall  pay  you  back  some  day,  believe 
me." 

Algernon  waved  the  idea  aside.  "That's  all 
right,"  said  he.  "You  helped  me  out  of  an  annoying 
place  without  my  asking  and  I  want  to  show  my  ap- 
preciation." He  busied  himself  as  he  spoke  with 
backing  the  car  to  avoid  taking  the  proffered  hand. 

Holmes  flushed  angrily,  started  to  say  something, 
thought  better  of  it  and  lighted  another  cigarette. 

301 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"I'm  a  thousand  times  obliged,"  said  he,  after  a 
moment's  pause. 

"That's  all  right,"  returned  Algernon,  starting 
the  car  ahead  slowly.  "We  are  quits,  now,  absolutely 
quits." 

Holmes  nodded  sullenly. 

"And  suppose  you  keep  a  bit  more  to  the  village," 
suggested  Algernon.  "You  are  annoying  my  cousin, 
hanging  around  as  you  do.  She  says  it  is  all  right, 
that  you  have  nothing  to  read  and  she  lets  you  bor- 
row from  the  library,  but  all  the  same  it  bothers 
her." 

The  color  had  ebbed  slowly  from  Holmes'  face 
and  left  it  white  and  drawn.  He  turned  to  Alger- 
non and  looked  him  coolly  in  the  face.  "See  here, 
Todd,  don't  sit  on  me  in  righteous  judgment  until 
you  are  qualified  to  do  so  by  temptation  resisted. 
Through  fate,  no  work  and  struggle  and  brain 
power  on  your  part,  ypu  have  been  put  where  you 
are  free  from  financial  temptation.  You  know  noth- 
ing whatever  about  it.  Wait  until  you  do  before  you 
judge.  The  only  thing  you  ever  did  in  this  world 
was  to  be  born  a  Todd  with  several  millions  in  your 
name.  You  yourself  are  neither  good  nor  bad.  You 
haven't  lived.  That  little  girl  up  at  your  place  and 
I  have." 

302 


A    WOMAN'S    REASON 

Algernon  flushed  and  held  out  his  hand.  "I 
didn't  realize  I  was  sitting  in  judgment  on  you, 
Holmes,"  he  protested,  "but  I  guess  I  was.  There  is 
nothing  so  damned  sanctimonious  as  people  who 
haven't  been  tried.  I  know  I  was  born  a  Todd  and 
that  I  haven't  done  a  blamed  thing  since." 

"You  don't  understand,  that's  all,"  said  Holmes 
kindly. 


CHAPTER  XV 

LOVE  OR  MONEY 

AGERNON  was  quiet  and  distrait  at  supper 
that  evening.  The  waitress  feared  that  she 
had  said  something  to  offend  him  and  spent  a  miser- 
able meal  trying  to  recall  all  she  had  said  to  him. 
The  gardener  decided  that  the  youth  had  at  last 
seen  the  hopelessness  of  competing  with  himself  for 
the  affections  of  the  parlor  maid  and  that  he  had 
withdrawn  into  settled  melancholy.  The  coachman 
and  upper  groom  watched  their  idol  with  grieved 
solicitude,  while  Bates  opined  that  he  was  secretly 
longing  for  the  dark  crime-infested  haunts  of  the 
city.  To  Bates,  Algernon  was  strong  socially,  weak 
morally,  and  Bates  felt  that  he  had  judged  him 
calmly,  accurately,  unprejudiced  by  that  fatal  fasci- 
nation of  his  which  had  already  reduced  the  upper 
groom  to  a  mere  servile  admirer. 

Algernon,  unaware  of  the  various  emotions  he 
had  aroused  in  the  breasts  of  his  fellow-servants, 
slipped  away  as  soon  as  it  was  dark  to  find  Molly. 
He  would  get  the  check-book  that  night  if  he  could. 

304 


LOVE    OR    MONEY 

But  he  could  not  catch  a  glimpse  of  her  on  the  ter- 
race, the  lawns  or  among  the  rocks,  and  he  finally 
went  to  the  house  and  entered  by  the  library  window, 
which  was  open  as  usual.  But  the  girl  was  nowhere 
around  and  Algernon  decided  that  she  had  gone  to 
bed  early,  as  Hancock  had  not  come  and  she  was 
probably  discouraged. 

The  next  day  was  Sunday,  and  Molly,  the  picture 
of  well-dressed  dainty  propriety,  went  ten  miles  to 
Brockton  to  church.  Algernon  drove  her  in  the  car, 
Molly  sitting  primly  on  the  back  seat. 

Hancock,  sitting  directly  across  the  aisle,  wrestled 
in  vain  for  the  remnant  of  his  wounded  pride.  But 
every  time  he  raised  his  eyes  from  the  hymn  book, 
he  saw  the  small  white  hat  with  the  soft  plume  lying 
lovingly  against  the  dark  hair;  he  saw  the  dimple  in 
the  flushed  cheek  come  and  go  as  Molly  read  the  re- 
sponses in  her  clear  sweet  voice.  He  saw  all  he  had 
been  trying  the  last  few  days  to  forget,  and  his  face 
flushed,  his  hands  twitched  with  longing,  and  he 
gave  up  his  feeble  attempt  to  sing. 

For  Algernon  the  long  quiet  afternoon  dragged 
away  somehow.  He  took  a  swim,  but  did  not  enjoy 
it  The  water  was  cold  and  he  had  no  one  to  amuse 
him.  He  dressed  forlornly  and  went  for  a  long  walk 
around  by  the  coast.  At  last  the  peace  of  the  coun- 

305 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

try  Sabbath  stole  upon  him  and  he  threw  himself 
down  on  the  sands  of  a  little  beach  and  dreamed  the 
afternoon  away,  lulled  by  the  sea's  monotonous 
chant. 

He  thought  of  Molly  as  she  had  looked  that  morn- 
ing in  her  demure  white  dress  and  simple  hat  He 
thought  of  her  vivacity,  her  daring,  the  gleeful 
pleasure  she  took  in  the  pretty  clothes,  the  large 
house,  the  servants  to  come  at  her  beck  and  call,  all 
the  luxury  and  unconscious  assurance  wealth  can 
give.  Yes,  money  was  a  good  thing.  Molly  was 
right  there.  Repentance,  forgiveness,  all  is  easy 
when  the  mind  is  at  rest  financially.  Suppose 
though,  that  after  acquiring  the  money  in — well,  in 
any  old  way,  one  could  not  acquire  the  mind  to  rest! 
Surely,  there  were  some  people  who  believed  that 
there  was  too  big  a  price  to  pay  for  a  bank-account, 
his  mother  for  instance;  but  then,  his  mother  did 
not  understand,  as  both  Holmes  and  Molly  insisted. 
His  mother,  like  himself,  had  never  been  tempted. 
But  Molly !  She  was  so  pretty  one  had  to  forgive  her 
everything.  Would  she  marry  him,  believing  him  to 
be  as  poor  as  she  thought?  He  felt  sure  that  she 
loved  him.  Would  she  be  true  to  her  love?  Was  she 
one  of  those  women  who  will  follow  a  man  bare- 
footed through  the  world,  work  with  him,  slave  with 

306 


LOVE    OR    MONEY 

him,  and  ask  only  his  love  in  return?  In  Molly's 
scale  of  life  which  would  weigh  the  more,  love  or 
money  ? 

So  he  dreamed  the  afternoon  away,  Molly,  love, 
honor,  money,  his  mother,  Holmes,  money,  honor, 
love,  Molly,  around  and  around  in  a  circle,  but  al- 
ways returning  to  the  same  subject,  Molly  O'Toole, 
black-haired  laughing  Molly. 

The  evening  was  close  and  murky.  Great  thunder- 
heads  had  rolled  upon  the  horizon  late  in  the  after- 
noon, and  had  passed  around  North  Brockton,  rum- 
bling off  in  the  distance.  The  breeze  had  died  down 
with  their  passing  and  the  only  place  to  keep  cool 
was  on  the  rocks. 

Algernon  finally  found  Molly  alone  on  a  point 
some  distance  from  the  house.  It  was  very  dark  and 
he  had  stumbled  on  her  by  chance,  catching  a 
glimpse  of  her  white  dress  against  the  gray  of  the 
cliffs.  And  there,  the  sea  at  their  feet,  he  sought 
to  tell  her  of  his  love,  but  she  would  not  listen.  -With 
all  her  woman's  wit  and  ingenuity,  she  turned  him 
off  and  eluded  him. 

"Ah,  Molly,"  he  pleaded,  "won't  you  listen  to 
me?" 

"You  have  so  many  that  will,"  she  teased.  "I 
should  think  you  would  not  mind  if  I  didn't." 

307 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"Whom?  What  do  you  mean,  Molly?  You  are 
the  only  person  I  want  to  talk  to." 

"That  may  be,  but  I  am  not  the  only  person  whom 
you  do  talk  with." 

"Whom  do  I  talk  with?"  he  asked,  trying  to  find 
her  hand  in  the  folds  of  the  light  shawl  she  had 
thrown  around  her  shoulders. 

Molly  was  watching  him  mischievously.  "Well?" 
she  queried.  "Trying  to  think  up  an  excuse?  I 
should  fancy  that  you  could  do  it  easily.  You  must 
have  had  such  a  lot  of  practise." 

"Molly,"  he  protested,  "why  do  you  say  that? 
What  do  you  know  about  me,  anyway  ?  Whom  do  I 
talk  with?" 

"What  do  I  know  about  you,  Joe?  Only  what  I 
hear  the  parlor  maid  recounting  to  the  waitress. 
You  have  made  a  crush  below  stairs,  young  man." 

"If  I  am  pleasant  to  a  girl,  she  thinks  I  can't  live 
without  her,"  and  Algernon  sighed  wearily.  "Wom- 
en spoil  half  the  fun  in  life  by  getting  in  earnest. 
Talk  about  conceit!  A  man  can't  say  a  word  to  a 
woman  but  she  immediately  thinks  that  she  is  his 
ideal.  So  of  course  she  tries  to  live  up  to  her  idea  of 
what  that  ideal  is,  gets  serious,  falls  in  love,  grows 
jealous,  cries,  weeps,  moans,  becomes  depressing  and 
exhausting.  Honestly,  a  man  has  to  go  away  to  save 

308 


LOVE    OR    MONEY 

his  own  nervous  system.  He  can't  stand  the  strain. 
If  girls  would  only  take  half  of  what  a  man  says 
with  a  pinch  of  salt  and  the  rest  with  a  bushelful, 
there  wouldn't  be  so  much  unhappiness  in  this 
world." 

"I  see,"  said  Molly  dryly. 

"Of  course,  it  is  different  with  some,"  explained 
Algernon  quickly. 

"The  man's  intentions  may  be  different,"  admitted 
Molly. 

"That's  it.  Jove,  if  a  girl  could  only  read  a  man's 
intentions  at  once  and  not  go  and  credit  him  with 
hers!" 

"Is  the  parlor  maid  different  or  are  your  inten- 
tions along  that  line  different?" 

'The  parlor  maid!  Molly!   Great  Scott!  Why—" 

"Hedging  already,"  teased  the  girl. 

"Molly—" 

"Am  I  different?" 

"Yes.  You  won't  let  me  do  the  wooing  and  you 
won't  do  it  yourself,"  complained  Algernon,  and 
then  added,  apropos  of  nothing:  "Molly,  where  is 
that  check-book?  I  want  to  make  out  another 
check." 

Molly  flushed  suddenly  in  the  dark.  Her  fingers 
clenched  slowly  and  she  gazed  for  a  moment  straight 

309 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

before  her.  She  did  not  want  him  to  make  out  an- 
other check.  It  was  too  great  a  risk  to  take  except 
under  desperate  circumstances,  and  yet  he  had  made 
the  first  one  out  for  her,  had  done  everything  in  his 
power  for  her,  and  this  was  the  first  request  he  had 
made  in  return,  keeping  silent  about  her  and  help- 
ing her  willingly  and  faithfully.  If  she  refused  now, 
he  would  be  hurt,  considering  her  ungrateful,  in 
fact  might  become  angry  and  ruin  her  plans  beyond 
repair.  She  must  put  him  off.  Besides,  he  was  so 
young,  so  decent  and  clean.  She  hated  to  think  of 
his  doing  anything  underhanded,  and  the  thought 
that  she  had  got  him  to  forge  the  first  check  filled 
her  with  sick  self-disgust. 

"You  don't  want  to  acquire  the  habit  of  paying 
bills,"  said  she  gaily,  to  gain  time.  "It  is  a  habit 
that  takes  up  a  person's  time  too  much.  You  no 
sooner  pay  one  bill  than  you  have  to  pay  another." 

"It  was  such  a  rare  experience,"  said  Algernon, 
"that  I  thought  I  would  try  again." 

"We  haven't  received  any  more  bills,  Joe,"  said 
the  girl  anxiously,  eagerly.  "We  really  don't  need 
another  check." 

"A  little  money  won't  come  in  amiss,"  stammered 
Algernon,  fearful  of  saying  too  much  lest  she  guess 
who  he  was  and  yet  not  saying  enough  to  get  the 

310 


LOVE    OR    MONEY 

book.  He  did  not  want  to  telegraph  his  lawyers  to 
forward  some  money  for  they  did  not  know  where  he 
was,  and  he  did  not  care  to  let  them  know  lest  some- 
how the  fact  reach  his  mother  and  through  her  let- 
ters to  him,  Molly,  who  would,  of  course,  be  the  first 
to  receive  the  letters,  would  learn  of  his  identity. 

Molly  had  grown  white  in  the  dark  and  when  she 
spoke,  she  spoke  slowly,  carefully  weighing  each 
word  as  she  sought  to  keep  her  rapidly  rising  emo- 
tion under  control  and  not  let  him  hear  the  fear  she 
felt  trembling  in  her  voice. 

"Can't  you  wait,  Joe,  just  for  a  week  or  two?"  she 
asked  gently,  earnestly.  "You  see  the  time  is  almost 
up  now.  When  I  succeed,  as  I  shall,  as  I  must,  I 
shall  pay  you  back  that  check.  You  can  make  it  all 
right  John  is  bound  to  come  back  before  long  and 
then  it  will  be  all  right." 

"Don't  you  worry,  Molly.  No  one  will  ever  find 
anything  wrong  with  the  checks  I  make  out  in 
Todd's  name.  It's  perfectly  safe  to  let  me  have  the 
book.  We  won't  get  into  any  trouble." 

"We  may,"  protested  Molly,  gaining  courage  as 
he  seemed  open  to  reason.  "I  know  that  you  have 
had  nothing  so  far  and  yet  have  helped  me  faith- 
fully, and  I  am  anxious  that-  you  should  be  re- 
warded. It  is  not  fair  that  you  should  not  have 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

anything  but  the  risk,  and  I  shall  be  glad  to  help 
you  to  anything  you  want,  I  shall  indeed,  if  you  will 
just  wait,  Joe,  until  I  have — have  one  more  chance." 

Algernon  lighted  a  cigarette  to  give  him  further 
inspiration.  They  were  thieves  together  and  he  had 
no  right  to  spoil  Molly's  chances  of  success  by  a  pre- 
mature demand  for  a  settlement.  And  yet,  Holmes 
had  been  kind  to  him  and  was  in  desperate  need  of 
some  ready  cash. 

Molly  tried  to  see  the  expression  of  his  face  in  the 
dark,  but  the  shadows,  cast  by  the  rocks  behind  them, 
were  too  deep.  She  laid  her  hand  on  his  arm  nerv- 
ously as  she  pleaded  for  more  time.  "You  see,  Joe, 
if  we  begin  to  fill  out  checks  whenever  we  need  a  lit- 
tle cash,  we  shall  be  putting  ourselves  in  just  so  much 
more  danger,  and  if  we  are  found  out  before  Mrs. 
Todd  comes  back  and  we  have  a  chance  to  get  away, 
it  will  be  terrible  for  us.  Do  you  really  think  it 
best?" 

"I  need  the  money  pretty  badly,"  murmured  Al- 
gernon, trying  to  decide  to  tell  Molly  about  Holmes, 
feeling  with  a  lover's  foolish  logic  that  he  could 
trust  her  absolutely  not  to  betray  his  confidence.  She 
was  Irish,  he  told  himself,  and  her  heart  was  big  and 
warm  and  true.  She  would  be  more  than  willing  to 
help  another  in  distress.  And  then  how  happy  she 

312 


LOVE    OR    MONEY 

would  be  to  think  that  she  had  trusted  him  when  she 
followed  the  dictates  of  her  heart  and  gave  her  all 
to  him,  her  beautiful  eyes,  her  glorious  hair,  her 
priceless  self.  The  picture  of  her  complete  sur- 
render, and  the  vindication  of  her  woman's  con- 
fidence in  him,  thrilled  Algernon  through  and 
through,  and  he  smiled  tenderly  to  himself  in  the 
dark  as  he  saw  it  all,  her  arms  about  his  neck,  her 
face  raised  to  his,  glorified,  transfigured.  Love 
triumphant  over  greed,  distrust  and  poverty! 

"If  it  is  something  you  want  to  buy,  couldn't  we 
order  it  and  charge  it?"  questioned  Molly  timidly. 
"Now  that  we  have  proved  our  credit  good  in  one 
quarter,  anyway,  it  would  be  so  much  safer  to  charge 
things.  Then,  when  we  leave,  the  bills  will  be  sent 
to  Mrs.  Todd,  and  we  shall  be  far  away  where  they 
can't  find  us.  Or  if  I  do  marry  John,  I  shall  be  able 
to  pay  them  myself.  Can't  you  tell  me  what  it  is 
you  want?" 

Her  small  hand  found  its  way  into  his  and  Al- 
gernon thrilled  all  over.  Dear  little  Molly!  Why 
had  he  hesitated?  He  did  not  feel  that  he  was  be- 
traying the  confidence  Holmes  had  given  him,  for 
Molly  and  he  were  practically  one.  She  would  guard 
the  secret  as  carefully  as  he  did.  The  night  was  so 
very  still,  she  sat  so  near  him,  with  her  small  hand 

313 


THE    UPPER   CRUST 

cuddled  warmly  in  his,  her  soft  hair  almost  brush- 
ing his  shoulder  as  she  leaned  eagerly  toward  him, 
that  to  doubt  her,  to  remember  with  disapproval 
what  she  had  done,  was  for  Algernon  at  that  mo- 
ment impossible. 

"I  shall  tell  you,  Molly,  dear,"  he  whispered,  his 
voice  shaking.  "But  you  must  promise  to  tell  no 
one.  Will  you?" 

"I  am  sorry  that  you  doubt  me,"  said  Molly  hum- 
bly, glad  of  the  darkness  that  hid  the  gleam  of  vic- 
tory in  her  eyes.  Algernon  would  as  soon  have 
doubted  his  mother. 

"I  don't,  dear,  really,"  he  protested,  husky  with 
emotion.  "But  it's  not  my  secret,  yet  I  want  to  help, 
and  I  need  that  check-book,  so  I  owe  it  to  you  to  tell 
you.  We  are  in  the  same  boat  and  ought  to  tell 
each  other  everything  that  may  in  any  way  affect 
us  both.  Still,  I  owe  it  to  Patterson  to  get  your 
promise  first.  I  myself  would  trust  you  with  every- 
thing—" 

"After  what  you  know  about  me,  Joe?  I  some- 
times feel  that  I  am  not  worthy  of  you,  that — " 

"Ah,  Molly,  don't  say  that,  dear." 

"But  it  is  true,  Joe.  Maybe  you  do  not  really 
trust  me.  I  have  never  cared  before  whether  other 
people  trusted  me  or  not.  But  with  you  it  is  differ- 

3H 


LOVE    OR.  MONEY 

ent.  I  don't  know  why,  but  the  worst  punishment 
I  can  receive  will  be  not  to  have  your  trust,  and  yet, 
how  can  I  ask  it?" 

Algernon  was  completely  undone.  He  pressed 
the  hand  he  held  and  pulled  her  nearer  to  him. 
"Molly,  Molly,  you  have  got  it,  dear,  my  entire 
trust  and  love." 

"No,  I  do  not  think  I  have.  Sometimes,  the  way 
you  act,  the  things  you  say — "  Her  voice  lost  itself 
in  a  whisper  of  humility  and  contrition. 

"What  do  I  say?" 

"I  can't  tell  you  word  for  word.  They  are  little 
things :  the  tones  of  your  voice,  sometimes,  the  way 
you  look  at  me.  Oh,  Joe,  I  would  give  anything  to 
redeem  myself  in  your  eyes,  to  prove  to  you  that 
I  can  be  honorable,  -that  I  am  honorable,  even  now. 
I  am  going  to  pay  the  Todds  back,  I  am,  indeed, 
whether  I  marry  John  or  not.  If  you  would  only 
trust  me!" 

"I  do  trust  you,  dear." 

And  to  prove  it,  he  told  her  all  that  Patterson  had 
told  him  the  day  before,  and  as  he  talked,  she  with- 
drew her  hand  from  his  and  gazed  straight  before 
her,  sitting  very  still  and  only  nodding  now  and 
then  to  show  that  she  was  following  what  he  said. 
At  first,  he  thought  she  had  lost  interest,  but  the 

315 


THE   UPPER    CRUST 

tenseness  of  her  slim  young  body  belied  that  and  he 
grew  eloquent  as  he  proceeded  and  realized  that  she 
was,  on  the  contrary,  listening  eagerly  to  every 
word,  his  warm-hearted  Irish  Molly! 

"So  you  see,  if  I  can  make  him  out  another  check 
which  he  can  cash  in  Brockton,  that  will  get  him  out 
of  the  country.  I  want  to  help  him,  Molly,  for  he 
once  did  me  a  good  turn." 

"Once?"  questioned  the  girl  fearfully.  "When, 
Joe?  I  did  not  know  that  you  had  ever  met  him 
before  he  came  here." 

"The  first  day  he  came,  dear,"  Algernon  hastened 
to  reassure  her.  "The  day  after  we  turned  him  back 
from  Canada.  He  was  mighty  kind  to  me." 

Molly  nodded  again  and  then  she  laughed,  a  low 
throaty  laugh  that  ended  in  something  that  sounded 
terribly  like  a  sob.  All  the  world  was  bad,  bad, 
bad,  rotten  to  the  core.  Here  was  Joe,  her  Joe, 
whom  she  had  thought  young  and  innocent  and 
sweet  and  clean,  just  a  careless  happy-go-lucky  boy, 
proving  himself  a  forger  before  he  had  met  her. 
His  story  about  Patterson  was  merely  made  up  on 
the  emergency  of  the  occasion  to  hide  his  own  guilt 
from  her,  while  he  was  entirely  ignorant  as  to  who 
Patterson  was.  It  was  all  so  clear  now,  his  past.  He 
had  forged,  been  discovered  and  fled  to  the  country. 


LOVE    OR    MONEY 

Then  he  had  come  upon  her  and  the  balking  Eliza- 
beth, and  the  rest  had  followed  just  as  he  had  wanted 
it  to.  No  wonder  he  was  willing  to  forge  another 
check  for  her  when  she  had  asked  him  to !  He  was 
probably  a  professional  thief,  her  Joe !  God !  And 
what  was  she  herself  ?  She  wanted  to  cry,  and  at  the 
thought  of  his  putting  his  guilt  on  Patterson,  on 
Algernon  Van  Rensellear  Todd,  one  of  those  who 
were  born  above  financial  temptation,  one  of  those 
who  could  not  understand,  she  was  filled  with  a 
wild  desire  to  laugh  at  the  farce  of  it  all.  She 
clasped  her  hands  around  her  knees  and  gazed 
stonily  out  to  sea.  Rotten,  rotten,  all  the  world 
was  rotten.  Those  that  seemed  good  were  only  so 
because  they  had  never  been  tried,  had  never  suf- 
fered. 

Algernon  chuckled.  "That  was  funny  the  way  we 
turned  him  back,"  he  admitted,  thinking  that  was 
why  she  laughed.  "But  I  can  have  the  book,  dear?" 

"This — er — Patterson,  is  that  his  real  name?" 
she  asked  indifferently. 

"Yes,"  declared  Algernon  firmly.  "Yes,  it  is, 
dear." 

"He  forged,  you  say?" 

"Yes.  That  is  why  he  has  to  get  out  of  the 
country  quickly — " 

317 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"As  you  and  I  may  have  to,"  Sneered  Molly. 

Algernon  looked  at  her  puzzled.  "Don't  say  that, 
dear.  Trust  me  and  I — " 

She  shrugged.  "I  don't  trust  any  man,  Joe.  I'm 
a  cynic,  if  you  like.  But  all  the  world's  rotten." 

"Not  you,  dear — " 

"Don't  say  that,  Joe.  You  know  it  isn't  so.  Why 
don't  you  let  this — er — Patterson  forge  his  own 
checks?" 

Algernon  flushed  in  the  dark.  "I  don't  know," 
he  stammered. 

Molly  laughed  angrily,  pitifully.  "Oh,  Joe,  you 
are  dear,  adorable,  an  innocent  foolish  child." 

Algernon  was  irritated.  "I  suppose  you  think  me 
more  of  a  fool  than  ever,"  he  muttered. 

"I  do,"  she  insisted.  "You  have  brought  it  on 
yourself,  Joe." 

"I  have,  have  I  ?"  He  turned  and  caught  her  two 
hands,  forcing  them  down  by  her  sides  gently,  but 
firmly,  his  eyes  looking  straight  into  hers.  "Call 
me  that  once  again,  my  lady,  and  I  shall  kiss  you  on 
your  mouth  and  knock  old  Hancock  off  the  rocks 
the  next  time  he  comes." 

"I  won't,  ever  again,"  she  promised.  "Let  me  go, 
please." 

She     became    quiet,    apparently    pondering    the 


LOVE    OR    MONEY 

situation  and  Algernon  lighted  another  cigarette  and 
tried  to  concentrate  his  mind  upon  the  question  of 
why  Patterson  shouldn't  do  the  forging,  but  all  he 
could  think  of  was  how  sweet  she  was  and  like  a 
baby  in  the  fleecy  shawl  she  had  around  her  shoul- 
ders. 

"Joe,"  said  she  soberly,  after  a  moment,  "this 
making  out  checks  is  a  serious  business.  Let  Pat- 
terson make  out  his  own." 

"I  shall,  dear,"  said  Algernon  feebly.  "But  I 
must  have  the  book  so  he  can  have  a  blank  check." 

"You  promise,  Joe,  if  I  give  you  the  book,  that 
you  will  not  forge  another  check  ?  I  must  take  care 
of  you  until  you  can  take  care  of  yourself." 

"Ah,"  said  Algernon,  "I  said  if  you  called  me 
that  again — " 

"But  I  didn't,"  she  protested. 

"It  was  the  same  as  if  you  had." 

"No,  no,  Joe,"  she  laughed.  "Honestly,  I  think 
you  are  wonderful.  But  tell  me  that  you  will  promise 
not  to  make  the  check  out  yourself." 

"Dear,"  said  Algernon  solemnly,  "I  promise  on 
the  honor  of  a  gentleman  that  I  will  never  forge 
the  name  of  Algernon  Van  Rensellear  Todd."  He 
laid  his  hand  on  his  heart  and  bowed  gaily  in  the 
darkness. 

319 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"On  the  honor  of  a  gentleman,"  she  sneered. 
"Both  honor  and  gentlemen  are  as  extinct  as  the 
dodo  bird." 

"Don't  say  that,  Molly,"  he  begged. 

"And  why  not?"  she  demanded  curtly. 

"I'm  not  a  dead  one  yet,"  protested  Algernon. 

The  girl  shrugged  and  rose  to  her  feet.  "It's  late. 
I  must  go  in." 

Algernon  helped  her  up  the  rocks  and  neither 
said  anything  more  until  they  reached  the  door. 
Then  Algernon  caught  her  hand. 

"May  I  have  the  book,  dear?"  he  asked. 

"Will  to-morrow  be  time  enough,  Joe?"  she 
hedged.  "I  must  find  it  and  it's  so  late." 

"Yes,  certainly.  I  shall  come  up  to  the  house  di- 
rectly after  breakfast.  That  will  be  time  enough. 
Good  night,  dear." 

He  raised  her  hand,  kissed  it  tenderly,  and  hold- 
ing the  door  open  for  her,  closed  it  gently  after  she 
went  in. 

In  her  room,  the  girl  went  straight  to  the  bureau, 
opened  the  top  drawer  and  took  out  the  check-book. 
With  white  face  and  firm  steady  fingers,  she  tore 
it  apart,  jerked  out  the  leaves  and  cut  them  into 
tiny  bits  with  her  finger-nail  scissors,  then  she 
swept  the  scraps  into  her  waste-basket,  and  throwing 

320 


LOVE    OR    MONEY 

herself    on    the    high,    four-posted,    canopied    bed, 
sobbed  herself  to  sleep. 

The  next  morning  Algernon  found  Molly  waiting 
for  him  on  the  tiny  beach.  She  waved  to  him  gaily, 
and  no  thought  of  the  check-book  or  Holmes  entered 
his  head  until  he  lay  sprawled  at  ease  on  the  sun- 
warmed  deck  of  the  little  sloop.  Then  he  turned  to 
her  lazily  and  asked  her  if  she  had  brought  the 
book  with  her. 

She  was  rebraiding  her  wet  hair  and  did  not  look 
at  him.     "No,"  said  she. 
,  "I  shall  come  up  directly  after  breakfast,"  said  he. 

"What  for?"  said  she. 

"The  book,"  said  he. 

"Let  Patterson  come  for  it  himself,"  said  she. 

"Why,  Molly,  he  couldn't,  dear.  Why  should  Mrs. 
Todd  give  a  stranger  her  check-book?" 

"Why  is  anything?"  she  asked  flippantly  and 
rose  to  her  feet. 

"Molly,  don't  you  see  he  can't  come  for  it?" 

She  nodded. 

"If  I  come,  will  you  give  it  to  me?" 

"If  you  promise,  Joe,  never  again  to  forge." 

"I  promised  last  night,  dear." 

"You  will  let  him  do  whatever  forging  is  neces- 


sary?" 


321 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"Yes." 

"Then  what  do  you  need  the  book  for?" 
"Why,  Molly,  he  will  need  a  blank  check." 
"Give  him  the  book  and  let  him  keep  it,"  said  she 
carelessly.    If  Joe  were  only  honest  with  her!    She 
was  sure  he  wanted  the  book  for  himself.  Why  had 
he  made  up  the  foolish  story  about  Patterson?     It 
hurt  her  that  he  did  not  trust  her  as  she  had  trusted 
him. 

The  wind  was  in  her  face,  the  sea  laughed  and 
called  to  her  gaily,  overhead  a  gull  wheeled  in 
graceful  flight.  Molly  drew  herself  up  and  stretched 
out  her  arms,  her  blood  tingling  in  every  vein,  her 
heart  singing  in  answer  to  the  sea.  What  had  trou- 
ble and  poverty  and  deceit  to  do  with  one  at  such 
a  time?  The  sea  was  hers,  the  sky  above.  There 
was  no  past  and  no  future,  just  the  present  moment, 
herself  and  Joe,  the  tumbling  ocean  and  the  tiny 
sloop,  rising  and  falling.  She  shrugged  the  check- 
book aside  and  dove  from  the  deck  to  swim  to  the 
distant  bell-buoy. 

As  soon  as  he  was  through  breakfast  and  could 
free  himself  of  the  rival  attentions  of  the  parlor  maid 
and  the  waitress,  Algernon  started  around  the  house 
to  look  for  Molly  and  get  the  check-book.  He  found 
her  on  the  east  terrace,  busy  with  bowls  of  flowers 

323 


LOVE    OR    MONEY 

which  she  arranged  herself  every  morning.  She 
nodded  when  she  saw  him  and  seemed  at  first  desir- 
ous of  avoiding  his  company.  ^Algernon  inquired, 
for  the  benefit  of  any  of  the  servants  who  might  be 
listening,  if  she  would  want  the  car  that  morning, 
then  he  drew  nearer  and  asked  her  in  a  low  tone  if 
she  had  found  the  book. 

"I  shall  get  it,"  said  she,  not  looking  at  him,  tuck- 
ing a  few  flowers  into  place,  and  taking  the  bowl 
into  the  hall. 

He  waited  on  the  terrace  until  he  saw  her  return- 
ing down  the  stairs  and  then  went  to  meet  her  at 
the  foot. 

She  descended  slowly,  pausing  on  the  bottom  step 
and  holding  out  her  purse  to  him.  "I  burned  the 
book  last  night,  Joe,"  said  she,  "here  is  some  money. 
That  will  be  better  than  forging  another  check." 

"I  was  not  going  to,  Molly,"  said  he  reproachful- 
ly. "I  told  you  that.  Couldn't  you  trust  me,  dear? 
Do  you  think  I  would  put  you  in  any  danger  just 
for  Patterson?" 

She  looked  straight  into  his  eyes  and  answered 
with  quiet  dignity.  "I  was  not  thinking  of  myself, 
Joe,  but  of  you.  I  am  nasty,  perfectly  nasty,  but 
I  can't  bear  the  thought  of  your  being  so,  too.  Ah, 
don't,  Joe,  don't.  It  doesn't  pay." 

323 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"I  promised  you  I  wouldn't,  Molly." 

"I  know,  and  I  shall  trust  you,  I  shall  indeed, 
Joe.  But  take  the  money.  It  will  pay  one's  fare  to 
Canada." 

"I  can't  take  your  money,  Molly,"  protested  Al- 
gernon. 

"I  want  you  to,"  insisted  the  girl.  "It  will — get 
Patterson  out  of  the  way."  She  might  as  well 
carry  on  the  farce  as  well  as  he. 

There  was  truth  in  what  she  said.  It  would  take 
Patterson  out  of  the  way  and  with  him  out  of  the 
way,  Hancock  would  return  the  sooner.  It  was  not 
as  if  Algernon  were  taking  her  last  cent,  for  if  the 
time  came  when  she  needed  money,  he  felt  that 
he  could  always  declare  himself  and  that  then  things 
would  be  well. 

"I  feet  like  a  cad  taking  your  money,  dear,"  he 
said  gently.  "But  I  shall  make  it  right  with  you, 
soon,  now." 

"I  want  you  to  take  it,"  said  she,  and  opening 
the  purse,  put  the  few  bills  into  his  hand  and  poured 
out  the  small  change. 

"It  will  get  Patterson  out  of  the  way  and  then 
Hancock  will  return  the  sooner,"  said  Algernon, 
pocketing  the  money.  "Oh,  Molly,  if  you  will  only 
marry  me — " 

324 


LOVE    OR    MONEY 

"Don't,"  said  she  sharply.  "I  would  rather  sign 
my  death-warrant  than  condemn  myself  to  poverty 
all  the  rest  of  my  life.  I  know  myself,  Joe.  I'm 
not  strong  enough  morally  to  stand  the  strain.  I 
want  a  chance  to  reform  and  I  can't  unless  I'm 
rich." 

"If  you  will  trust  me — " 

"I  do.  You  promised  not  to  forge  again  and  I  do 
believe  you." 

"You  can,  dear.  I  won't  But  if  you  marry 
me—" 

"Please,  there  comes  the  parlor  maid.  I  shall 
raise  your  wages  after  this  month,  Joe,  if  you  do 
as  well  as  you  have.  No,  I  shan't  go  out  in  the  car 
this  morning." 

She  nodded  carelessly,  and  tossing  her  purse  on 
the  table,  returned  to  the  side  terrace  and  her 
flowers. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

MOLLY  DARLING 

PATTERSON  was  grateful  for  the  money  and 
laughed  at  the  girl's  unwillingness  to  give  up 
the  check-book,  which  Algernon  merely  hinted  at 
as  an  excuse  for  not  giving  a  check  for  a  larger 
amount.  He  would  stay  over  one  more  day,  he 
decided,  and  wait  to  see  if  the  boiler  didn't  come 
and  he  could  go  on  in  his  own  car.  It  was  so  much 
safer  than  by  the  train.  Trains  could  be  watched 
so  easily  and  searched.  But  if  the  boiler  didn't 
come,  he  would  not  wait  any  longer.  Waiting  got 
on  one's  nerves,  and  besides  it  was  expensive,  as 
he  had  the  board  and  lodging  of  his  chauffeur,  as 
well  as  himself,  to  pay.  They  shook  hands  cordially 
and  Algernon  returned  to  Castle  Crags. 

He  spent  the  morning  tinkering  with  the  cars 
and  dreaming  of  Molly  O'Toole,  whistling  occasion- 
ally to  himself,  softly  and  half  unconsciously.  Molly 
and  he  were  working  at  cross  purposes,  it  seemed, 
and  he  determined  to  end  it  all.  It  had  become  more 
than  he  could  stand  to  play  the  part  of  humble 

326 


MOLLY    DARLING 

chauffeur  any  longer.  He  was  frankly  sick  of  the 
job  and  longed  to  be  done  with  it  and  to  make  him- 
self right  again  in  Molly's  eyes.  For  some  reason 
she  seemed  to  think  badly  of  him,  acted  as  if  he 
were  a  sort  of  professional  forger,  another  Jim  the 
Penman. 

She  was  out  all  the  morning  in  the  motor-boat 
and  when  she  returned  Hancock  was  with  her,  both 
in  hilarious  spirits.  He  had  been  out  in  his  own  boat 
and  they  had  met  on  the  rocking  tossing  ocean, 
and  Hancock,  looking  into  the  Irish  blue  eyes 
through  the  curling  strands  of  wind-blown  hair, 
wondered  if  it  was  not  fate  that  had  drawn  them 
together  again.  He  had  been  extremely  childish 
and  thoroughly  miserable,  and  now  they  met  in 
their  tiny  boats,  far  from  land,  with  the  salt  spray  in 
their  faces,  the  tumbling  waves  beneath  them,  and 
overhead,  the  deep  blue  of  the  August  sky.  Surely, 
it  was  fate,  and  he  turned  his  boat  and  followed 
hers. 

In  the  afternoon,  when  Algernon  again  went  in 
search  of  the  girl,  he  found  that  she  and  Hancock 
were  still  together,  out  on  the  rocks,  somewhere, 
and  he  went  back  to  the  garage  and  spent  the  rest 
of  the  long  day  tinkering  with  the  cars.  He  was 
not  jealous.  He  felt  with  sublime  egotism  that  when 

327 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

it  came  to  a  deliberate  choice,  Molly  would  not  hesi- 
tate a  moment  between  her  love  for  him  and  her 
greed  for  Hancock's  money.  She  would  follow  her 
love  and  laugh  money  to  scorn  in  the  haven  of  her 
lover's  arms.  He  had  barely  finished  supper,  when 
he  went  once  more  to  find  her,  indifferent  as  to 
whether  he  was  seen  by  the  servants. 

He  wandered  through  the  house  but  could  not 
find  Molly,  and  determined  to  wait  for  her  on  the 
side  terrace.  He  drew  up  a  lounging  chair  beside 
one  of  the  small  tables  on  which  he  found  cigars 
and  his  favorite  wine,  arranged  as  he  realized  with 
annoyance  but  not  jealousy,  by  Molly  for  Hancock. 
He  lighted  a  cigar  and  stretched  himself  at  ease.  It 
was  very  quiet  and  peaceful  here.  The  long  summer 
twilight  was  darkening  into  night.  A  few  stars 
were  beginning  to  appear  toward  the  far  horizon, 
across  the  tumbling  unrest  of  the  waters.  Little 
breezes  from  the  vast  far  away  whispered  by,  stir- 
ring the  vines  along  the  coping  and  the  thick  ivy 
on  the  house  walls.  From  the  darkness  of  a  wood- 
land pond,  the  frogs  croaked  forth  their  deep  bass 
song  of  loneliness. 

Algernon  arose  restlessly  and  strolled  to  the  edge 
of  the  terrace  where  he  leaned  against  the  balustrade 
and  gazed  over  the  pleasant  vista  of  his  own  pos- 

328 


MOLLY    DARLING 

sessions.  Like  a  stretch  of  dark  green  velvet,  grow- 
ing ever  darker  with  the  approaching  night,  sloped 
the  lawn,  falling  abruptly  to  the  rocks  and  the  sea. 
In  the  shelter  of  the  promontory,  he  saw  his  sloop,  a 
bare  outline  against  the  evening  sky.  The  all  per- 
vading quiet  of  the  night,  stealing  on  one  from 
that  wide  open  country,  filled  Algernon  with  a  ten- 
der sadness  and  a  sick  disgust  for  the  rush  and  noise 
of  the  city,  for  all  the  useless  strain  and  struggle 
that  didn't  amount  to  any  more  in  contentment 
and  peace  and  soul  happiness. 

He  went  back  to  his  chair  and  smoked  a  while, 
watching  through  the  haze  of  his  cigar,  the  last 
gray  vestige  of  the  day  disappear  and  the  stars 
come  out  one  by  one  overhead,  and  the  horizon  come 
nearer  and  nearer  with  the  black  wall  of  night. 
After  a  time  he  rose  and  went  in.  He  was  filled 
with  a  vague  longing  for  he  knew  not  what,  and 
wandered  restlessly  through  the  library,  drawing- 
rooms  and  dining-room.  For  company's  sake,  he 
touched  a  match  to  the  logs  in  the  hall  fireplace, 
and  drew  up  a  chair  as  on  the  first  evening,  barely  a 
month  ago.  He  took  his  old  smoke-blackened  pipe 
from  his  pocket  and  filled  and  lighted  it.  A  long 
time  later,  a  door  opening  aroused  him  from  a  fitful 
doze.  He  sat  up  and  turned  around.  He  felt  the 

329 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

freshness  of  the  night  blowing  through  the  open 
door  and  heard  low  voices,  a  man's  and  a  woman's 
mingled,  then  Molly's  quite  distinctly,  saying  good 
night.  Hancock  answered  and  the  door  shut. 

Molly,  turning,  saw  him  by  the  light  of  the  dying 
fire  and  came  slowly  forward.  She  was  in  white, 
with  a  little  red  jacket,  her  hands  thrust  ii)  its 
pockets,  her  dark  head  bare.  She  looked  sad  and 
depressed.  Her  mouth  drooped  like  a  tired  child's, 
and  her  eyes  were  filled  with  a  wistful  longing.  She 
sank  down  on  the  huge  carved  settee  and  held  out 
her  hands  to  the  blaze,  shivering  a  little.  Algernon 
stirred  up  the  fire  and  threw  on  some  more  logs, 
though  she  protested  that  she  was  warm  enough  and 
must  go  to  bed,  anyway.  It  was  late. 

"It's  just  the  edge  of  the  evening,"  objected  Al- 
gernon, drawing  up  a  big  chair.  "Sit  here.  We 
want  to  talk,  you  and  I." 

Still  murmuring  that  it  was  late  and  she  must 
really  go  to  bed,  she  sank  into  the  soft  depths  of  the 
chair  with  a  contented  sigh. 

"I  should  think  you  would  be  tired  talking  to 
that  empty-headed  Bostonian  all  day,"  said  Alger- 
non, looking  down  at  her  tenderly,  a  bit  of  red 
and  white  in  the  depths  of  the  big  chair,  the  fire- 
light playing  on  her  delicate  face  and  dark  hair. 

330 


MOLLY    DARLING 

"I  am,"  she  admitted  truthfully,  her  eyes  on  the 
fire. 

"Why  do  you  do  it,  child?  We  are  tired  of  him 
now,  you  and  I.  We  have  played  the  game  and  I 
have  won.  He  is  a  useless  pawn.  Throw  him 
aside." 

The  girl  did  not  look  up  or  answer.  Algernon 
sat  down  on  the  settee  beside  her  chair  and  leaned 
forward,  his  elbows  on  his  knees,  his  hands  locked 
together  before  him. 

"Molly,  look  at  me,  dear.  I  have  something  I 
want  to  say,  must  say.  I — Molly,  darling,  listen — 
above  everything  in  the  world,  I  want  you.  I  love 
you.  Marry  me,  dear,  and  let  us  be  done  with  this 
vulgar  sham." 

"Oh,  Joe,  don't — not  to-night — never!  I  can't 
marry  you."  She  edged  away  from  him  as  far  as 
the  arm  of  the  chair  would  let  her  and  shook  her 
head  stubbornly,  emphatically. 

"Look  at  me,"  cried  Algernon.  "Ah,  you  can't 
do  it,  you  can't  do  it.  Molly,  girl,  you  know  you 
love  me."  He  was  on  his  feet  and  had  drawn  her 
into  his  arms,  little  red  jacket  and  all.  "Molly, 
Molly,"  he  whispered,  kissing  her  soft  warm  cheeks, 
her  eyelids,  the  great  folds  of  her  raven  hair. 

For  a  moment  she  was  passive,  then  she  wrenched 
331 


THE   UPPER   CRUST 

herself  away  and  stood  at  a  distance,  flushed  and 
disheveled,  her  hands  busy  fastening  back  the  loose 
locks  that  tumbled  over  her  temples  and  eyes. 

"This  is  foolish,"  said  she,  not  looking  at  him.  "I 
am  going  to  bed.  You  had  better  go,  too.  Good 
night." 

She  turned.  Algernon  did  not  move.  She 
glanced  over  her  shoulder. 

"Good  night,  Joe,"  she  repeated. 

"Wait,"  said  Algernon.  "We  have  to  settle  this 
thing  now,  you  and  I.  We  can't  leave  it  as  it  is, 
Molly." 

"It's  like  trouble,  then,"  said  she  and  laughed 
flippantly,  nervously,  but  paused  again  in  the  shad- 
ows of  the  great  dark  hall,  beyond  the  flickering 
light  of  the  dancing  flames. 

"Doiv't  fool,  Molly.    Come  and  sit  down." 

"I  don't  want  to,  Joe.  What's  the  use?  We  can 
never  agree." 

"Yes,  we  can.  If  you  can  look  me  straight  in  the 
face  and  say  that  you  do  not  love  me,  we  can  agree 
to  part.  If  you  can't — and  you  know  you  can't — 
we  will  agree  to  be  married.  Come,  dear.  I  prom- 
ise that  I  will  not  touch  you  again.  Come  and  sit 
down." 

"It  won't  do  any  good,  Joe.  I  won't  marry  you." 
332 


MOLLY    DARLING 

"You  love  me,  though.     Say  it" 

"Why,  yes,  I  like  you." 

"Better  than  you  do  Hancock?" 

"As  well." 

"Better?"  he  insisted.  "You  know  you  like  me 
better."  And  he  strode  over  to  her  where  she  leaned 
against  the  great  center-table. 

"As—" 

"Molly!" 

"Oh,  Joe,  yes,  I  do  love  you.  But  don't  you  see 
how  impossible  it  is,  our  love?  Nothing  can  ever 
come  of  it." 

"Why  not?  As  far  as  I  can  see  there  is  nothing 
in  the  way  of  our  marrying." 

"There's  everything  in  the  way." 

"What?" 

"Poverty." 

"Poverty!  Nothing!  I  am  young  and  can  more 
than  earn  enough  for  you  and  me,  sweetheart.  Be 
brave,  dear,  that's  all  I  ask,  and  trust  me.  I  prom- 
ise you  you  will  not  suffer  for  it." 

"I  shall  suffer,  Joe.  We  both  shall.  How  can  we 
help  it?" 

"What  shall  we  suffer?" 

"Why,  poverty." 

"What  is  poverty  when  a  man  and  woman  love 
333 


THE   UPPER   CRUST 

each  other  as  we  love?  Talking  of  poverty,  anyway, 
is  ridiculous.  I  can  make  enough  to  keep  us  in  com- 
fort." 

"Yes,  but  what  of  the — the  family?" 

"The  family,  Molly?" 

"The  children,  Joe.  We  should  probably  have  a 
dozen  or  so.  Think  of  the  coal  bills,  the  grocery 
bills,  of  the  shoes  forever  wearing  out,  of  the 
whooping-cough  and  the  measles — " 

"Love  will  make  care  a  pleasure  when  shared  to- 
gether." 

"But  it  doesn't,  Joe.  You  are  not  logical.  Care 
and  trouble  eliminate  love  entirely.  It  can't  help 
but  do  so.  Poverty  and  love  are  poor  team-mates 
and  love  always  gets  the  worst  of  it  when  it  comes 
to  blows." 

"Let's  get  down  to  reason.  You  say  I  am  not 
logical.  I  am.  Listen,  dear.  I  am  young  and 
strong.  I  have  gone  through  college.  You  your- 
self know  what  I  am,  you  can't  help  but  feel  instinct- 
ively that  I  am  capable  and  decent,  Molly.  I  can 
more  than  take  care  of  both  of  us  and  fifty  children. 
You  will  never  have  to  work  again;  indeed,  I  will 
not  let  you  work.  If  I  could  not  support  a  wife,  I 
would  not  ask  you  to  marry  me." 

"A  woman  always  has  the  worst  of  it,  no  mat- 
334 


MOLLY    DARLING 

ter  how  much  a  man  says  she  won't.     It  stands  to 
reason,  Joe,  that  she  will." 

"Wait.  I  haven't  finished.  I  repeat,  I  will  never 
allow  you  to  work.  You  must  admit  that  I  am 
right  when  I  say  that  I  have  the  ability  to  support 
us  in  comfort.  Admit  it,  dear.  Do  you  not  know 
that  it  is  so?" 

"Yes,  but—" 

"Wait.     I  haven't  finished  my  argument  yet." 

"But,  Joe,  what's  the  use  of  your  argument  when 
it  won't  convince  me?  You  may  be  able  to  support 
me.  I  admit  it.  But  you  can  not  give  me  what 
Hancock  can.  You  will  probably  never  be  able  to." 

"And  what  can  he  give  you  but  good  clothes,  good 
food  and  carriages,  a  big  house  and  plenty  of  money 
and  servants  ?  All  empty  show  without  love." 

"But  he  does  love  me." 

"Not  as  I  do,  Molly." 

"He  does,  Joe.     He  says  he  does." 

"But  you,  yourself,  Molly?  You  don't  love  him. 
You  would  sell  yourself  like  so  much  merchandise, 
body  and  soul,  be  worse  than  one  of  those  creatures 
of  the  streets,  for  they  know  no  better  and  are 
hungry  and  desperate  and  driven !  Ah,  Molly,  child, 
don't  spoil  our  lives  like  this,  just  because  you  won't 
be  true  to  yourself." 

335 


THE    UPPER   CRUST 

"I  am  true  to  myself.  My  true  self  is  not  what 
you  think.  I — "  She  turned  away,  her  face  soft- 
ening, her  eyes  filling.  Her  hands  clenched  slowly 
in  her  pockets.  For  a  moment  she  was  tempted  to 
live  up  to  this  man's  estimate  of  her,  to  give  up  the 
wearing  struggle  of  denying  her  love  for  him  and 
fighting  against  it,  to  be  all  he  thought  her,  putting 
love  above  everything,  true  to  the  ideal  he  had 
formed  in  the  long,  idle  summer  days  when  they  two 
had  talked  of  love  and  life,  while  she  took  lessons 
in  driving  a  motor-car. 

"Molly,"  whispered  Algernon,  throwing  out  his 
hands  pleadingly,  but  not  touching  her,  "don't  sell 
yourself  for  gold;  don't  give  yourself  to  that  man 
simply  for  the  money  he  can  give  you  in  return.  I 
love  you,  dear.  I  will  make  your  life  all  that  you 
want  it  to  be.  All  that  I  ask  is  that  you  trust  me  and 
be  true  to  this  love  of  ours,  which  is  clean  and  pure 
and  sweet,  not  besmirched  with  the  grime  of  gold 
and  empty  marriage  vows.  You  are  not  a  high- 
grade  Holstein  or  a  bull  pup  with  a  pedigree  a  mile 
long  that  you  should  sell  yourself.  You  are  a 
woman,  dear — " 

"I  can't  help  being  a  woman,  Joe." 

"And  for  that  reason  you  can't  help  being  true 
to  my  love  and  your  love,  Molly,  dear." 

336 


MOLLY    DARLING 

"It's  not  a  question  of  love,  Joe,  but  of  dollars  and 
cents.  All  life  is.  One  can  get  along  without  love, 
but  not  without  money.  Money  is  the  beginning 
and  end  of  man.  Love  is  out  of  date,  antiquated. 
You  are  behind  the  times.  Tell  me  of  your  bank- 
account,  not  your  love." 

"Molly!" 

"It's  true,  Joe.  Don't  be  hurt.  I  love  you  more 
than  I  do  any  one,  but  that  does  not  prevent  my 
seeing  that  love  will  not  pay  the  plumbers'  bills." 

"I  tell  you,  Molly,  I  can  more  than  pay  half  a 
dozen  plumbers'  bills." 

"You  can't  give  me  all  the  clothes  I  want,  a  yacht, 
a  new  motor  every  year,  servants  galore,  a  house  like 
this,  big  and  warm  and  beautiful.  When  could  you 
and  I  go  to  Europe  ?  In  the  steerage,  perhaps,  now, 
or  probably  fifty  years  later,  when  we  have  buried 
half  of  the  children  and  married  off  the  rest,  and 
would  be  too  old  and  worn  out,  too  set  in  our  ways, 
to  appreciate  anything  or  care  about  anything  ex- 
cept whether  Mary's  eldest  had  the  mumps  yet,  or 
John's  youngest  had  cut  all  his  teeth.  You  and  I 
would  never  be  more  than  an  inch  or  two  at  the 
most  from  the  ragged  edge  of  nothing.  Oh,  Joe, 
don't  you  see?  Can't  you  understand?  If  I  married 
you  I  should  not  become  old  immediately.  I  should 

337, 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

still  be  as  young  as  you.  I  should  want  pleasure  and 
comfort  as  much  as  I  do  now,  as  much  as  you 
would—" 

"And  you  would  have  them." 

"No,  I  wouldn't.  You  could  go  out  with  the 
'boys',  to  the  theaters  and  ball  games.  You  would 
have  your  man's  life  just  the  same.  I  should  have  to 
stay  at  home  and  mind  the  babies.  If  we  went  any- 
where together,  you  would  probably  have  to  push 
one  go-cart  and  I  another.  If  we  went  to  the  the- 
ater we  should  have  to  take  one  of  these  collapsible 
apologies  for  baby  carriages.  I  would  hold  the 
baby  and  you  and  the  usher  would  wrestle  in  the 
aisle  with  the  old  thing,  trying  to  shut  it  up  and  get 
it  out  of  the  way  before  the  crowd  became  a  mob 
and  resorted  to  mob  law  to  obtain  their  seats." 

"I  can  make  money.    Other  men  have." 

"Yes,  but  when  you  had  made  it,  we  should  be  so 
old  and  so  used  to  the  habit  of  saving  that  we  should 
never  be  able  to  get  out  of  it  and  have  a  good  time 
with  our  money." 

"But  we  should  be  happy  all  those  years,  while  I 
was  making  it,  side  by  side,  dear,  you  and  I.  What 
if  Hancock  does  love  you,  the  fact  remains  that  you 
love  me,  and  as  long  as  that  is  so  you  have  no  right 
to  sell  yourself  to  him  for  so  much  gold.  Is  your 
338 


MOLLY    DARLING 

soul  so  sordid  that  you  think  of  nothing  but  gold, 
gold,  gold?" 

"Yes,  and  stocks  and  bonds  and  notes." 
Algernon  flung  away  from  her,  his  hands  deep  in 
his  pockets.  He  strode  to  the  fireplace  and  gazed 
at  the  slowly-dying  flames.  The  logs  had  fallen 
apart  and  the  center  was  a  bed  of  glowing  coals. 
She  stood  and  watched  him  a  moment,  a  tender  little 
smile  on  her  lips,  a  half-wistful,  half-maternal 
light  in  her  eyes.  Then  she  walked  over  to  the  settee 
and  rested  her  arms  along  the  high  back.  She  re- 
garded Algernon  thoughtfully  and  felt  an  altogether 
honest,  wholly  unselfish  desire  to  spoil  the  ideal  of 
herself  which  he  had  set  up  in  his  mind  and  at 
whose  feet  he  worshiped.  That  the  ideal  was  be- 
smirched made  it  no  less  an  ideal.  She  did  not  real- 
ize to  the  full  how  fascinated  he  was,  how  much  he 
forgave,  overlooked  and  still  adored. 

"Joe,"  she  said  slowly,  "I  can't  quite  make  .you 
out.  You  don't  seem  shocked  at — at  what  I  have 
done  this  summer,  been  a  sham,  as  you  say,  and  a 
good  deal  worse,  a  swindler,  all  kinds  of  ugly  things. 
Then,  you  yourself  care  so  little  for  honor  that  you 
forge,  and  yet  you  seem  to  think  it  so  awful  because 
I — I  live  up  to  my  lack  of  honor.  For  me  to  steal, 
that  is  nothing  to  you,  but  for  me  to  marry  a  man 

339 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

whom  I  do  not  love,  just  for  his  money,  why,  that  is 
terrible  to  you  and  you  act  as  if  you  thought  I  was 
descending  to  the  lowest  depths  of  depravity.  I 
can't  understand  it.  You  know  what  I  am,  what  I 
am  willing  to  do,  yet  you  set  up  in  your  imagination 
a  sort  of  sanctified  me  and  think  it's  the  real  thing. 
In  your  heart  you  must  know  that  it  is  not.  It  seems 
so  inconsistent  to  me,  the  whole  thing.  That  you 
should  love  me  is  nothing.  Why  shouldn't  you? 
You  are  no  better  than  I  am.  You  have  been  a  party 
to  my  swindle,  a  willing  party.  You  were  perfectly 
willing  to  forge  that  check.  We  are  simply  two 
thieves,  and  that  one  should  fall  in  love  with  the 
other  is  not  funny,  but  quite  natural.  But  why  give 
me  a  code  of  honor  to  live  up  to — " 

"Some  thieves  have  a  code  of  honor  to  live  up  to. 
It  differs  from  most  people's,  but  it  is  theirs,  and 
having  it,  they  are  not  thoroughly  bad,  through  and 
through." 

"Honor  among  thieves  is  simply  a  fairy  story,  Joe. 
Believe  me.  Besides,  why  is  it  worse  for  me  to 
marry  this  man  for  his  money  than  it  is  for  those 
rich  girls  to  marry  men  just  for  their  titles?" 

"It  isn't,"  returned  Algernon,  not  looking  up. 
"Because  I  am  a  thief  makes  you  no  less  a  thief. 

340 


MOLLY    DARLING 

Because  they  barter  themselves  for  a  worthless  name 
doesn't  make  you  any  more  excusable." 

The  girl  sighed  and  turned  her  eyes  from  his 
face  to  the  dying  fire.  A  log  broke  in  two,  sending 
a  shower  of  sparks  up  the  chimney  and  starting  the 
feeble  flames  for  a  last  brave  struggle.  Then  they, 
too,  flickered  out,  and  only  a  bed  of  coals  remained, 
encircled  by  a  steadily-growing  ring  of  ashes.  Molly 
drew  back  a  few  steps,  one  hand  still  resting  on  the 
back  of  the  settee. 

"I  am  sorry,  Joe,"  she  said  simply.  She  waited 
a  moment  but  he  did  not  look  up  and  she  crossed  the 
hall  to  the  stairs. 

As  she  reached  them  he  turned  suddenly  and 
followed  her.  "Molly,"  he  pleaded,  "my  love  you 
know,  I  have  told  you  about  it,  I  have  spoken  first. 
How  do  you  know  that  Hancock  cares  for  you  ?  Has 
he  asked  you  to  marry  him?" 

She  paused  on  the  third  step,  one  hand  on  the 
banisters,  cool,  impassive,  with  not  a  quiver  of  the 
eyelids,  not  a  tremor  of  the  sweet  mouth  to  reveal 
the  storm  of  feelings  in  her  breast.  "He  has  asked 
me,  Joe,"  said  she  gently.  "He  asked  me  to-night." 

"Have  you  mentioned  eloping  yet?" 

"I  got  sick  over  things  last  night,  Joe.  It  was  all 
341 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

so  sordid  and — rotten.  I  couldn't  stand  things  any 
longer  and  when  he  came  this  morning  and  we  sat 
on  the  rocks,  I  told  him  that  I  was  Molly  O'Toole, 
masquerading  in  my  mistress'  name." 

"What  did  he  say?"  asked  Algernon  in  dull  sur- 
prise. 

"First  he  was — not  shocked,  probably,  but  aston- 
ished, dumfounded.  But  we  talked  a  long  time 
and  then — " 

"Then?" 

"Then  he  asked  me  to  marry  him." 

"You  told  him  before  he  proposed?" 

"Yes.    I  had  to  do  one  thing  decent,  anyway." 

"You  are  decent,  dear,  all  through." 

"What,  I,  a  piece  of  merchandise?"  she  asked 
with  a  faint  sneer  in  her  voice. 

"Molly,"  he  protested. 

"Good  night,"  said  she. 

"Good  night,"  he  answered. 

She  went  up  the  low  wide  stairs,  dimly  lighted 
by  the  hall  above.  On  the  first  landing  she  turned 
and  looked  back.  He  was  standing  at  the  edge  of 
the  stairs,  still  looking  up  after  her  and  with  three 
bounds  he  was  beside  her. 

"Molly,  Molly,"  he  whispered,  his  arms  around 
her.  "Don't  spoil  my  life  and  yours  and  his,  sweet- 

342 


MOLLY    DARLING 

heart.  I  love  you  so.  Look  up,  dear.  Ah,  Molly, 
could  you  endure  his  arms  around  you,  his  kisses  on 
your  hair,  your  beautiful  hair?  You  are  happy, 
dear,  in  my  arms.  Tell  me,  did  that  lace  dress  of 
yours,  that  string  of  turquoises  and  the  motor-car 
ever  fill  you  with  such  content  as  just  my  arms 
around  you,  holding  you  close,  close?  Molly,  little 
sweetheart,  you  and  I  together,  dear,  we  can  laugh 
at  care  and  trouble.  We  can  face  the  world  and 
conquer  it,  beloved,  if  we  be  together." 

Once  again  she  lay  in  his  arms  quietly,  listening 
to  his  rush  of  words  and  feeling  his  impassioned 
kisses  on  her  face  and  the  tumbled  mass  of  hair. 
Suddenly  she  pushed  him  from  her  and  backed 
against  the  wall,  breathing  heavily,  at  bay.  Then, 
catching  her  breath  in  a  broken  sob,  she  turned 
and  stumbled  on  up  the  stairs,  one  hand  clutching 
the  banisters. 

"Molly,"  he  pleaded. 

"No,  no,  no,"  she  sobbed. 

The  circle  of  light  above  received  her  a  moment. 
The  next  she  was  gone.  A  door  shut  somewhere 
and  then  silence  settled  on  the  house  and  the  great 
hall,  dark  now,  save  for  the  dying  embers  on  the 
ash-filled  hearth. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

SUSPICION 

THE  long  swell  of  the  ocean  rose  and  fell. 
The  waves  pounded  against  the  rocks  and 
rushed  up  the  beach  with  a  rattling  splash  of  water, 
stones  and  seaweed.  Overhead,  the  gulls  wheeled 
and  floated,  and  in  the  lee  of  the  promontory  the 
sloop  danced  and  beckoned.  Over  the  boundless 
blue  of  the  ocean,  the  sand-gray  sweep  of  the  beach 
and  the  woods,  with  its  joyous  inhabitants  filling  the 
air  with  clamor,  shone  the  warm  rays  of  the  morning 
sun.  It  was  very  early  when  Algernon,  blanket- 
shrouded,  emerged  upon  the  beach. 

The  night  before  he  had  gone  to  bed  with  the 
determination  to  leave  in  the  morning,  returning  in 
a  few  days  under  his  own  name  and  preceded  by  a 
telegram  to  the  effect  that  he  was  coming.  He 
would  give  Molly  time  enough  to  marry  Hancock 
and  go,  or  wait  and  face  him,  as  she  wished.  If  she 
went  and  he  found  the  great  place  deserted,  he  could 
telegraph  some  of  the  boys  to  come  up  and  they 
might  be  able  to  kill  time  painlessly — to  themselves. 

344 


SUSPICION 

There  was  no  need  of  brooding  on  his  disappoint- 
ment. 

The  beach  was  empty.  Only  the  sea-gulls,  wheel- 
ing and  screaming  in  the  glorious  morning  air,  and 
the  bell-buoy,  scolding  softly  to  itself,  broke  the  end- 
less song  of  the  sea.  Algernon  waited  a  while  in 
the  hope  that  Molly  might  come  for  the  last  few 
swims  that  would  be  possible  before  the  water  grew 
too  cold  for  pleasure  or  comfort.  But  she  did  not 
appear  and  he  finally  threw  off  his  blanket  and 
swam  out  to  the  sloop  where  it  rode  at  anchor. 

It  had  not  been  used  all  summer  and  everything 
was  shut  up,  snug  and  shipshape,  as  it  was  when 
brought  up  earlier  in  the  season  from  the  south. 
Algernon  prowled  around,  rattled  the  padlocked 
door,  peered  in  at  the  dusty  portholes,  and  examined 
the  chains  and  anchor.  Then  he  sat  down  on  the 
poop,  drawing  up  his  knees  and  clasping  them  with 
his  arms.  The  hot  rage  and  disappointment  of  the 
previous  night  had  died.  The  swim  had  cleared  his 
head  and  aroused  his  fighting  spirit. 

He  would  not  run  away,  whipped  at  his  own 
game.  He  would  stay  and  make  her  love  him,  make 
her  love  for  him  greater  than  her  love  for  gold. 
Like  many  gentle  good-natured  men,  Algernon  had 
the  colossal  stubbornness  of  a  mule.  He  would 

345 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

not  throw  up  his  cards  and  go.  He  would 
stay  and  see  the  game  to  the  finish,  until  the  last 
card  was  played,  the  last  trick  taken.  If  he  had  lost 
a  trick  last  night  he  would  win  two  to-day.  Yes,  he 
would  win  her  yet,  and  that  without  showing  his 
hand.  Last  night  he  had  acted  like  the  fool  she  had 
always  insisted  on  calling  him,  had  grown  angry, 
while  she  had  remained  cool  and  sweet,  with  all  her 
wits  about  her — except  at  the  end.  She  had  left 
him  in  tears,  and  Algernon  argued  from  past  ex- 
periences that  when  a  woman  is  about  to  change  her 
mind  she  will  immediately  burst  into  tears.  If  he 
had  only  held  her  a  moment  longer ! 

He  stood  up  and  stretched  his  arms  above  his 
head,  stepping  to  the  edge  of  the  deck  with  a 
chuckle.  Jove,  Hancock  wasn't  in  it!  He  swam 
to  shore  and  went  home  through  the  woodland  path, 
whistling  shrilly  through  his  teeth. 

It  was  still  early  when  he  had  finished  dressing. 
He  decided  to  go  boldly  to  the  house,  locate  the  win- 
dows of  Molly's  room,  arouse  her  and  take  her  for 
a  walk  before  breakfast.  Half-way  across  the  lawn 
he  noticed  the  flutter  of  a  white  skirt  on  the  terrace 
before  the  house.  It  was  not  one  of  the  maids. 
They  would  be  too  busy  to  loiter  thus  on  the  terrace, 
for  Molly  possessed  the  art  of  keeping  a  house  and 

346 


SUSPICION 

was  as  strict  as  a  mistress  as  she  was  capable  as  a 
servant. 

Algernon  called  and  the  slim  figure  on  the  terrace 
turned.  It  was  Molly,  and  as  she  saw  him,  she  drew 
back  instinctively,  to  retreat  while  there  was  yet 
time.  But  on  second  thought  she  stopped,  ap- 
proached the  edge  of  the  terrace  and  nodded  a  gay 
good  morning. 

"The  early  worm  is  a  bad  example  to  follow," 
said  she.  "He  got  caught,  you  know." 

"I  am  already  caught,  bound,  helpless,  Molly, 
sweetheart." 

"Oh,  don't,  please,"  she  begged. 

He  drew  himself  up  beside  her.  "And  why  not, 
colleen  ?" 

She  threw  back  her  head  and  laughed,  looking  at 
him  through  the  screen  of  her  lashes.  "An'  shure, 
if  yer  Oirish,  where's  yer  brogue?"  she  asked. 

"Molly,  Molly,  you  have  broken  my  heart  to  bits. 
Don't  take  a  hammer  and  smash  the  bits  to  powder." 

"A  heart  often  broken  soonest  mended,"  she 
taunted  him. 

Algernon  drew  her  down  on  the  coping  beside 
himself.  "That's  the  trouble,"  said  he.  "Mine  has 
never  been  broken  before,  and  it's  hard  fitting  the 
parts  together  again." 

347 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"Are  you  trying  to?" 

"Yes.  And  when  I  finish,  I  am  going  to  give  it  to 
you  again,  colleen." 

"You  had  better  be  careful.  I  might  take  it  next 
time  and  then  what  would  you  do  ?" 

"Take  yours,"  said  he. 

"I  haven't  any,"  said  she. 

"Take  mine,  then.  It  will  do  for  both.  One  heart 
that  beats  for  two." 

"It  would  have  to  be  broken  first,  and  then  you 
could  never  mend  it  again,  for  I  would  have  half 
of  it." 

"Half?    You  have  the  whole." 

"Who  else  had  it  before  me?" 

"No  one." 

"Joe,"  she  reproved. 

"Molty,"  he  mimicked. 

She  leaned  back  among  the  vines  and  nasturtiums, 
her  back  against  a  pillar,  her  hands  clasped  behind 
her  head.  Her  feet,  in  white  yachting  shoes,  swung 
slowly  back  and  forth.  His  eyes  rested  a  moment  on 
her  shoes  and  then  he  glanced  up  at  her  face. 

"Have  you  ever  been  yachting,  Molly?"  he  asked. 

"Joe,  sometimes  you  make  me  wonder  who  you 
really  are.  You  say  things  and  do  things  as  if  you 
were  a  sort  of  J.  Pierpont  or  a  John  D.  You  talk 

348 


SUSPICION 

i 

about  yachting  and  this  and  that  as  if  they  were  an 

every-day  occurrence  to  you.  I  have  been  poor  all 
my  life,  dear  boy,  not  just  in  little  snatches  for  the 
mere  pleasure  and  novelty  of  it.  No,  I  have  never 
been  yachting,  either  on  my  own  or  my  master's 
yacht — that  is,  not  yet,"  she  added,  glancing  mis- 
chievously at  him. 

"Would  you  like  to  go?" 

"Of  course.    That  is  one  of  the  things  I  am  selling 
my  immortal  soul  for,  as  you  look  at  it." 

"Would  you  like  to  go  with  me,  I  mean?  You 
and  I  can  slip  out  the  back  way,  down  to  the  sloop 
in  the  cove  below  there,  pull  up  anchor  and  sail 
away  to  the  rim  of  the  world  and  over.  What 
do  you  say  ?  We  could  go  south  and  sail  around  the 
Indies  during  the  winter,  in  the  tropics,  where  the 
nights  are  one  long  fragrant  twilight,  with  hardly 
a  breath  of  wind  to  stir  the  sails  and  with  only  a 
soft  little  murmur  of  water  at  the  bows.  The  stars 
are  so  bright  that  they  look  like  diamonds  on  the  vel- 
vet in  a  show-window.  You  know  how.  You've 
seen  them  in  Tiffany's.  And  it  is  all  so  quiet  that 
when  you  drift  up  the  bay  to  the  mouth  of  some 
lagoon  you  can  hear  the  alligators  slipping  off  the 
banks  into  the  mud  and  slime,  and  from  the  palms 
and  magnolias  along  the  shore  you  can  hear  the 

349 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

chatter  of  parrots  and  sometimes  the  cry  of  a  heron." 

"Where  should  we  get  anything  to  eat?  Neither 
of  us  would  have  a  cent.  We  should  have  to  run  up 
a  black  flag  and  turn  pirates." 

"Would  you  do  it?  Think  of  the  long  idle  days, 
with  just  ourselves  and  the  wind  and  the  waves — " 

"And  hunger.  We  should  get  so  hungry  and 
there  would  be  nothing  to  eat." 

"Let  us  drop  the  subject  of  food,"  said  Algernon 
gravely.  "It  is  too  prosaic,  too — " 

"Practical,"  she  laughed.  "You  are  the  most  im- 
practical person  that  ever  lived,  Joe." 

"No,  I'm  not.  But  leaving  my  character  out  of 
it,  will  you  go  with  me  all  over  the  world,  wherever 
our  fancy  takes  us  and  trust  me,  trust  me  to  feed 
and  clothe  us?  Will  you,  Molly?" 

The  telephone  bell  rang  within  and  from  long 
habit  at  answering  bells,  Molly  rose  and  started  to- 
ward the  door. 

Algernon  jumped  up  quickly.  "Let  me  answer 
it?" 

"No,  I  shall,  thanks.    It  is  surely  for  me." 

"Tell  me,  first,  will  you  go  with  me?" 

"The  food—" 

Algernon  made  a  hopeless  gesture,  and  she 
laughed  and  went  in. 

350 


SUSPICION 

It  was  warm  and  sweet  on  the  terrace.  The  air 
was  heavy  with  the  scent  of  the  flowers  and  the 
fields.  Gay  little  butterflies  fluttered  here  and  there 
and  bees  buzzed  lazily  among  the  late  flowers  in 
the  beds  below  the  terrace.  Algernon  amused  him- 
self by  picking  a  bunch  of  red  and  yellow  nastur- 
tiums as  he  waited,  humming  softly.  In  a  moment 
Molly  came  to  the  door  again,  her  eyes  filled  with 
amusement 

"It's  for  you,  Joe,"  she  said.  "Whom  do  you 
know  that  would  call  you  up  this  early?" 

"Did  he  give  his  name?"  asked  Algernon, 
busy  with  his  flowers  and  not  looking  up. 

"No,"  she  said  demurely.  "He  wouldn't  give  me 
his  name.  You  have  so  many  secrets,  you  and  your 
mysterious  friends." 

"I  have  none  from  you,  except  those  you  won't  let 
me  tell,"  reproached  Algernon,  handing  her  the 
flowers. 

His  thoughts  were  too  much  occupied  with  Molly 
to  receive  the  announcement  that  he  was  wanted  on 
the  telephone  with  surprise.  He  was  used  to  having 
people  call  him  up  on  the  telephone  at  any  hour  of 
the  day  and  he  forgot  that  in  this  out-of-the-way 
place  there  was  no  one  who  had  any  occasion  to  call 
him  up.  He  took  the  receiver  down  indifferently. 

351 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"Hullo." 

"Hullo.     Is  this  the  Todds'  chauffeur?" 

He  recognized  Patterson's  voice  and  began  to 
have  a  dim  notion  that  all  was  not  well.  Had  any- 
thing happened  that  Patterson  must  leave  town  sud- 
denly and  wanted  to  say  good-by?  His  voice  was 
cool  enough,  but  there  was  an  underlying  strain  in 
it  as  that  of  a  man  with  a  tight  hold  on  himself,  and 
Algernon  was  not  surprised  that  Molly  had  not  rec- 
ognized it. 

"Yes,"  called  Algernon. 

"I  am  Patterson — Patterson.  Do  you  under- 
stand?" 

"Yes.   Has  anything  happened?" 

"Some  one  has  done  a  damn  sight  too  much 
talking." 

"How's  that?" 

"The  authorities  know  where  I  am.  Somebody 
telegraphed  to  New  York  where  I  was.  Telegraphed 
yesterday.  Do  you  hear?  Telegraphed.  Some  one 
telegraphed.  Can't  you  hear?  Hullo?" 

Telegraphed !  Yesterday !  Algernon's  face  turned 
slowly  white  and  his  mild  gray  eyes  darkened  until 
they  looked  almost  black. 

"Hullo!  Are  you  there?" 
352 


SUSPICION 

"Hullo.  Yes,  I'm  here,"  he  answered.  "Go  on. 
Tell  me  all." 

"I  got  the  tip  this  morning.  The  last  train  has 
gone  until  the  ten  to-night.  My  car  is  still  broken." 

"Yes.  Go  on.  Hullo.  Don't  hang  up.  What  are 
you  going  to  do?  What?  I  can't  hear." 

"I'm  not  going  to  hang  up.  I  asked  you  what  can 
I  do?  If  any  one  is  listening — " 

"This  is  a  private  line.   No  one  can  hear.   Go  on." 

"A  steamer  leaves  for  England  in  a  day  or  two. 
If  I  had  a  fast  motor-car,  I  could  make  it.  I'm  not 
saying  anything,  but  you  are  the  only  one  to  whom 
I  told  my  troubles — " 

"Hold  on  a  minute.  You  said  you  weren't  saying 
anything  and  it's  just  as  well  not  to,  understand? 
All  right.  I  have  a  plan  by  which  we  can  catch  that 
boat  other  than  by  a  motor-car.  The  roads  will  all 
be  watched  and  it  will  be  hard  for  a  motor  to  get 
through.  Hullo — What  say?  I  can't  hear.  Oh,  I 
thought  you  said  something.  Get  up  here  if  you 
can  in  about  an  hour.  Come  by  the  rocks  and  no 
one  will  see  you.  Do  you  hear?  I  have  a  plan — 
yes,  a  plan.  Get  up  here  as  soon  as  you  can.  Good- 
by." 

Molly  stood  in  the  doorway  listening  with  an  ex- 
353 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

pression  of  amused  tolerance  concealing  the  wonder 
and  surprise  and  fear  in  her  eyes. 

"What  plan  have  you  got?"  she  asked. 

Algernon  made  no  answer.  He  rang  up  the  sta- 
bles. 

"Hullo." 

"Hullo,"  answered  the  second  groom. 

"That  you,  Bates?" 

"Yes,  sir."  The  "sir"  came  out  unawares.  Bates 
recognized  the  voice  of  the  chauffeur  and  under  or- 
dinary circumstances  would  have  scorned  to  use 
such  a  word  in  conversation  with  a  fellow-servant. 

"Do  you  know  anything  about  sailing  a  boat?" 

"Yes,  sir.  I've  run  a  boat  since  I  went  into  knee 
pants." 

"That's  good.  Come  up  to  the  house  on  the  jump, 
will  you?  I  have  a  job  for  you." 

"Yes,  sir.   Good-by." 

Molly  looked  angry  and  startled.  "Joe,"  she  de- 
manded, following  Algernon  into  the  hall.  "What 
are  you  going  to  do  ?" 

Algernon  rang  for  a  servant  and  began  to  scribble 
hastily  at  the  hall  table.  Molly  leaned  against  the 
newel  post  and  watched  him.  Her  face  was  white, 
and  in  her  eyes  indignation,  fear  and  surprise  strug- 
gled for  mastery. 

354 


SUSPICION 

She  had  not  caught  the  name  of  Patterson  and  her 
racing  thoughts  jumped  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
trouble  that  had  compelled  Algernon  to  leave  New 
York  was  now  forcing  him  to  leave  Maine.  He 
doubtless  had  an  accomplice  in  the  village,  some  one 
she  knew  nothing  about,  some  one  probably  who  had 
come  Saturday  or  Sunday,  as  that  was  the  day  Al- 
gernon had  asked  again  for  the  check-book.  It  was 
all  so  clear  to  the  girl's  tortured  fancy.  The  two  had 
been  discovered  by  the  police  and  were  trying  to 
get  away.  Her  fear  was  all  for  her  Joe,  min- 
gled with  a  hot  anger  and  sick  disgust  for  herself 
that  she  should  care  so  much,  so  terribly  much,  for  a 
thief,  a  criminal.  With  the  maternal  instinct  strong 
in  her,  she  wanted  to  fight  for  him,  to  protect  him 
and  shield  him  as  she  would  a  little  boy.  For  her 
own  guilt  stood  forth  so  clearly  in  the  light  of  his. 
Who  was  she  that  she  should  criticize  him? 

The  parlor  maid  entered  and  turned  to  Molly. 

"You  rang?"  she  asked. 

"I  rang,"  said  Algernon.  "Tell  the  cook  to  have 
my  breakfast  on  the  table  as  soon  as  possible." 

"In  the  dining-room,  sir?"  stammered  the  girl. 

"Naturally.    I  don't  eat  on  the  stoop,  my  girl." 

Bates  stood  in  the  front  door,  respectfully  touch- 
ing his  cap. 

355' 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"You  wanted  me?"  he  asked. 

"You  can  manage  a  boat,  you  say  ?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"I  want  the  sloop  down  in  the  cove  put  in  sailing 
order  as  soon  as  possible.  Can  you  do  it?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Get  the  gardener,  or  some  one,  to  help  you,  and 
see  that  it  is  done  properly.  I  am  going  to  take  a 
run  up  the  coast  and  shall  want  you  to  go  with  me. 
Tell  Thomas  to  get  a  boy  from  the  village  to  take 
your  place,  until  we  return.  Understand?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Get  your  breakfast,  then,  and  see  to  it." 

"Yes,  sir." 

Bates  clattered  out,  bursting  with  excitement, 
pleasure  and  wonderment.  Molly  had  stood  there, 
heard  the  orders  given  and  said  nothing,  so  Bates 
did  not  question  the  authority  behind  them.  Alger- 
non returned  to  his  writing,  and  Molly  stepped  for- 
ward and  confronted  him  across  the  table.  He  was 
making  out  a  list  of  provisions  for  the  boat  and 
would  pause  now  and  again,  raising  his  eyes  and 
looking  straight  before  him  in  thought.  She  watched 
him  in  silence  a  moment,  as  he  wrote  with  a  white 
face  and  set  mouth,  and  self  and  her  own  mercenary 
schemes  were  forgotten,  swept  aside  into  oblivion  by 

356 


SUSPICION 

the  rush  of  her  love  for  this  man,  her  boy,  in  trou- 
ble. His  crime  she  waved  aside  with  a  woman's 
sublime  inconsequence. 

The  next  time  he  looked  up  she  spoke  in  feigned 
gaiety. 

"Joe,  I  see  now  how  the  food  could  be  provided. 
I  had  forgotten  Higgins." 

He  turned  his  eyes  slowly  to  her  face  and  then 
dropped  them  again  as  if  he  had  not  heard  her  and 
wrote  steadily  on. 

"I  did  not  refuse  your  invitation  outright,"  she 
hurried  on.  "My  refusal  was  provisional  in  more 
ways  than  one,  you  must  remember." 

He  did  not  look  up  or  answer  and  before  she 
could  speak  again  the  nonplused,  thoroughly 
frightened  parlor  maid  announced  from  the  door- 
way that  breakfast  was  served  and  as  hastily  with- 
drew. Something  was  radically  wrong  somewhere 
was  all  the  poor  thing  was  capable  at  that  moment 
of  comprehending.  Why  everybody — herself,  the 
austere  Bates,  the  cook — should  be  rushing  around 
at  the  orders  of  the  chauffeur  was  wholly  inexplain- 
able.  That  they  were  doing  so  quickly  and  without 
question  was  clear  beyond  a  doubt.  The  reason  for 
it  she  felt  she  would  have  to  leave  to  providence. 

Algernon  started  to  the  door,  but  Molly  stepped 
357 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

in  his  way.  "Joe>"  said  she,  "you  do  not  say  whether 
your  invitation  to  me  still  holds  good." 

Algernon  stopped  and  looked  down  into  the  girl's 
face,  a  smile  of  forced  gaiety  trying  in  vain  to  con- 
ceal the  fear  and  longing  in  her  passionate  eyes.  He 
remembered  the  Sunday  when,  in  the  dark  among 
the  rocks,  blissfully  contented,  with  the  waves  lap- 
ping softly  at  their  feet,  her  small  hands  in  his,  he 
had  told  her  the  secret  Patterson  had  confided  to 
him,  had  given  her  his  honor  to  keep,  and  now  she 
had  tossed  it  aside  as  worthless.  For  who  in  North 
Brockton  but  him  and  Molly  knew  about  Patterson? 
He  had  not  telegraphed  to  New  York,  therefore 
Molly  must  have  been  the  one  to  do  so.  She  had 
wanted  to  get  rid  of  the  man  somehow  that  Hancock 
might  come  back,  and  how  easier  could  she  do  it 
than  as  she  had? 

Algernon's  hands  clenched  slowly,  he  opened  his 
mouth  as  if  to  speak,  then  turned  without  a  word 
and  passed  through  the  farther  door,  leaving  her 
alone  in  the  great  hall  that  was  flooded  with  the 
morning  sunshine,  pouring  in  through  the  tall  dia- 
mond-paned  windows. 

Algernon  strode  into  the  dining-room  and  sat 
down.  He  had  come  into  his  own  again,  but  was  too 
absorbed  in  the  work  he  had  undertaken,  too  used, 

358 


SUSPICION 

indeed,  to  being  Algernon  Van  Rensellear  Todd  with 
a  score  of  obedient  well-trained  servants  quick  to 
do  as  he  said,  to  realize  that  the  situation  was  not  so 
clear  to  the  others  as  to  himself.  He  offered  no  ex- 
planation and  forgot  that  one  was  needed. 

When  he  had  finished  his  breakfast  and  returned 
to  the  hall,  Molly  was  still  there,  leaning  against  the 
table,  head  bent,  thinking,  thinking,  thinking,  and 
all  her  thoughts  were  on  the  one  subject,  Joe  and 
this  trouble  he  was  in.  Hancock,  his  love,  his  money, 
all  it  meant  to  be  his  wife,  was  forgotten.  The  one 
thought  of  which  she  was  conscious  was  that  Joe 
was  in  trouble  and  she  must  help  him.  For  some 
reason  he  was  angry  with  her.  She  would  ask  his 
forgiveness  whatever  it  was,  but  she  would  not  have 
him  leave  her.  She  looked  up  as  he  entered.  His  hat 
was  on  the  table  and  he  had  to  cross  in  front  of  her 
to  get  it.  She  whirled  and  laid  her  hand  on  it  as  he 
reached  to  pick  it  up. 

"Joe,"  said  she  quickly,  "tell  me  what  you  are  go- 
ing to  do.  Perhaps  I  can  help." 

"You !"    He  gave  a  short  ugly  laugh. 

"And  why  not?"  she  demanded.  "I  can  do  a  lot 
of  things.  I  can  go  to  the  village  and  buy  things  for 
you.  Why  can't  I  help?  You  wanted  me  to  once." 

"I  wanted  you  for  my  wife — once,"  he  answered. 
359 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

She  shrank  back  and  he  snatched  up  his  hat  and 
turned,  but  she  was  beside  him,  her  hand  on  his  arm. 

"What  have  I  done?"  she  pleaded,  "that  you 
should  turn  from  me  so?  Last  night  you  asked  me 
to  marry  you.  What  have  I  done  since  then  ?" 

"Don't,"  he  begged.   "Let's  end  this." 

"No.  You  must  tell  me." 

"You  know  as  well  as  I  do.  Let  me  go,  please.  I 
am  in  a  hurry." 

"I  do  not  know.  I  do  not  know,  really,  Joe.  Tell 
me  what  I  have  done  since  last  night.  Nothing.  I 
can  answer  for  myself.  Absolutely  nothing.  It  is 
you  who  are  changeable,  you  who  are  at  fault." 

"All  right,"  said  he.  "Let  it  go  at  that  I  can't 
stop  now." 

"Tell  me  what  I  have  done,"  she  reiterated.  "You 
must,  Joe.  The  criminal  in  the  dock  is  told  his  crime 
and  allowed  to  defend  himself.  Am  I  worse?  Am  I 
to  have  no  mercy  ?" 

Algernon  turned  away  and  started  again  for  the 
door. 

"Am  I  to  have  no  justice,  even?"  she  pleaded, 
standing  forlornly  in  the  middle  of  the  hall,  her 
arms  limply  hanging  by  her  side. 

Algernon  paused.  "Don't  ask  for  justice,  Molly. 
You  might  get  it." 

360 


'I  wanted  you  for  my  wife — once,"  he  answered. 


SUSPICION 

"And  you!"  she  flashed  out.  "What  of  yourself? 
I  am  a  thief,  a  liar,  a  reprobate,  but  what  of  your- 
self? Have  you  been  above  reproach;  even  during 
the  last  month  of  your  life,  to  say  nothing  of  what 
went  before  you  came  here?  My  past  is  blameless. 
I  can  swear  it  on  the  Bible  if  you  wish  me  to.  I 
came  up  here  with  the  intention  to  do  the  very  best 
in  my  power  for  Mrs.  Todd.  The  country  people  got 
it  into  their  heads  that  I  was  Mrs.  Todd  and  kept 
calling  me  by  that  name.  I  didn't  say  anything  at 
first,  just  for  the  fun  in  it.  I  did  everything  I  had 
been  ordered  to.  I  put  the  house  in  order,  saw  to  the 
gardens  and  stables — Wait — You  must  listen — Then, 
one  day  Hancock  came  to  call.  He  said  he  had  heard 
that  I  was  in  the  neighborhood  and  came  over  in  his 
motor-boat  across  the  bay  to  be  friendly.  I  cared 
for  no  one  else.  You  had  not  come.  I  played  up  to 
the  part  of  Mrs.  Todd  as  any  one  would,  Joe,  just 
for  fun,  to  see  if  I  could  fool  him  as  I  had  the  coun- 
try people  and  to  help  pass  the  time.  It  was  so 
deadly  dull  here.  He — he  seemed  to  care  for  me 
right  away,  Joe,  and  somehow  I  began  to  think  of 
what  it  would  mean  to  be  his  wife.  How  could  I 
help  it?  What  woman  would  not  have  thought  about 
it?  He  is  young,  good-looking,  rich.  He  knew  noth- 
ing about  the  Todds  and  it  was  easy  to  fool  him. 

361 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

Joe,  how  could  I  have  helped  not  wanting  to  marry 
him?  You  had  not  come." 

"Molly,  for  heaven's  sake!" 

"No,  no.  Listen.  I  realized  all  it  would  mean  to 
myself  for  me  to  marry  him.  Just  having  a  home 
and  some  one  to  care  for  you  and  keep  you  from 
being  forced  to  earn  your  own  living  was  tempta- 
tion enough  for  any  woman.  Well,  he  began  to  come 
at  all  hours  of  the  day.  I  did  not  have  clothes  to 
live  up  to  the  part.  I  was  tempted  and  I  fell.  Joe, 
am  I  the  first  and  only  person  who  has  been  tempted 
beyond  his  strength  ?" 

"It  isn't  that,  and  you  know  it  isn't,"  he  inter- 
rupted dully. 

"What  is  it,  then?  I  fell,  but  I  thought  I  would 
simply  run  up  a  few  bills  in  the  Todds'  name,  that 
I  should  be  married  before  they  came  due,  as  good 
as  married,  anyway,  and  I  could  pay  the  bills  my- 
self. The  Todds  would  not  be  out  anything,  might 
not  ever  know  anything  about  it.  And  then,  about 
that  check.  I  was  desperate,  Joe.  Success  was  so 
near,  in  a  day  or  two,  a  week  at  least,  it  would  be 
mine.  What  was  one  little  check  ?  That,  too,  I  could 
pay  back.  But  you  forged  that  yourself.  Why  am  I 
so  beyond  the  pale?  What  of  yourself?  You  joined 
in  the  cheating.  You  knew  that  I  was  not  Mrs. 

362 


SUSPICION 

Todd.  I  told  you  myself.  Why  didn't  you  go  then 
and  tell  the  authorities  ?  Have  you  done  something 
in  New  York  that  you  are  in  hiding  from  the  law 
yourself  and  didn't  dare  go  and  tell  them?  Ah,  you 
see !  Last  night  you  asked  me  to  marry  you  and  yet 
you  knew  all  that  I  had  done." 

"No,  I  didn't,  Molly.  But  for  goodness'  sake,  let's 
drop  this.  I  am  busy.  I  can't  stop." 

"Yes,  busy  for  the  sake  of  some  man.  How  is  he 
any  better  than  I  ?  Look  at  what  he  has  done !  He 
is  a  cheat,  forger,  counterfeiter,  just  the  same  as  I !" 

"Let's  drop  this.  It  is  only  degrading  and  utterly 
useless.  The  man  has  nothing  whatever  to  do  with 
me  except  indirectly.  I  gave  him  my  promise  that 
I  would  not  tell  his  secret  to  any  one.  I  shall  redeem 
my  honor  as  well  as  I  can  in  my  own  sight  and  to 
my  own  satisfaction." 

"Your  honor !"  she  sneered. 

A  dull  flush  crept  into  Algernon's  cheeks,  but  he 
only  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  started  again  for 
the  door. 

At  the  door  she  was  before  him,  closing  it  in  his 

face. 

"Tell  me  what  you  mean." 

"I  mean  that  telegram  you  sent,"  he  answered. 
"I  told  you  his  pitiful  secret  because  I  was  fool 

363 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

enough  to  think  I  owed  it  to  you,  gave  you  my  honor 
to  keep,  and  you  tossed  it  aside  with  your  own.  Now 
you  know  and  have  known  all  along.  Let  me  by." 

The  girl's  face  turned  ghastly  white,  her  hands 
clenched.  She  threw  back  her  head  and  her  eyes 
blazed  with  fury.  In  her  anger  she  did  not  clearly 
grasp  his  words,  thinking  that  he  had  been  betrayed 
and  that  he  blamed  her. 

"It  is  false,"  said  she  hoarsely.  "I  sent  no  tele- 
gram to  any  one.  I  asked  you  to  trust  me.  You  didn't, 
but  I  would  have  died,  Joe,  died,  before  I  would 
have  betrayed  that  trust." 

He  was  miserable,  embarrassed,  and  she  saw  that 
he  did  not  believe  her,  that  what  she  had  done  de- 
stroyed any  possibility  that  he  could  believe  her  now. 
The  thought  drove  her  mad.  She  threw  out  her 
hands  pleadingly. 

"I  have  been  false,"  she  whispered,  "through  and 
through.  But  I  love  you  and  would  die  before  I 
would  be  false  to  you.  I  love  you,  Joe,  and  I  ask  you 
to  believe  me.  What  I  said  last  night,  I  did  not 
mean.  I  take  it  all  back.  I  love  you  more  than  any- 
thing in  all  the  world.  I  will  take  in  washing,  I  will 
scrub  floors,  if  only  I  may  be  your  wife  and  you  will 
believe  me." 

Algernon  turned  aside,  his  face  working,  the  hand 
364 


SUSPICION 

that  held  his  hat,  trembling.  "Let  me  by,"  he  mut- 
tered. 

"Joe,  on  my  knees,  I  ask  you  to  believe  me." 

"Molly,  don't,"  he  pleaded,  catching  her  hands. 
"It's  not  worth  it.  Let's  forget  it,  each  other.  This 
is  only  painful." 

She  leaned  quickly  toward  him,  the  light  spring- 
ing up  again  in  her  eyes.  He  thought  of  her  treach- 
ery, of  the  man  who  had  given  him  his  misplaced 
confidence,  and  his  face  hardened,  as  his  disgust 
rose.  Quickly  she  saw  the  change.  She  laid  her 
hands  on  his  shoulders  and  whispered  his  name,  all 
her  pleading  and  longing  in  the  one  little  ugly  word. 

"Joe." 

Algernon  put  her  aside  gently  and  opened  the 
door.  "It's  all  right,  Molly,"  he  said.  "You  marry 
Hancock  and  be  happy." 

Then  he  crossed  the  terrace,  leaped  the  coping  to 
the  lawn  below,  and  as  he  ran  toward  the  garage, 
the  stable  clock  struck  eight. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

THE  WEAK  LINK 

E?T  alone,  the  girl  thought  desperately,  anx- 
iously. She  knew  Joe  planned  to  go  with  the 
sloop,  and  this  wholesale  robbery  of  her  employer 
alarmed  and  terrified  as  well  as  angered  her.  She 
had  intended  to  return  all  she  took,  and  had  soothed 
her  conscience  with  the  thought  that  it  was  only  bor- 
rowing. She  was  sure  of  her  own  charms  and  of 
Hancock's  susceptibility  and  knew  that  it  was  only  a 
question  of  days  before  she  would  have  thousands 
with  which  to  repay  the  little  she  had  taken.  But 
Joe  had  no  expectations.  He  was  running  away 
from  the  law  as  it  was,  and  that  with  the  sloop, 
stealing  it  deliberately  and  with  no  chance  or  de- 
sire apparently  to  return  it. 

In  dulled  indecision,  she  watched  from  the  hall 
window  Bates  and  the  gardener  go  for  the  sloop  in 
one  of  the  motor-boats  as  tug.  She  watched  them 
scramble  on  board,  pull  up  the  anchor  and  get  back 
into  the  motor-boat.  She  heard  the  panting  of  the 
engine  as  the  little  boat  tugged  and  strained  to  get 

366 


THE    WEAK    LINK 

under  way  and  finally  started  back  to  the  wharf. 
She  could  have  gone  out  and  stopped  them,  for  she 
had  nothing  to  fear  herself  from  anything  Joe  could 
do  in  retaliation,  since  the  man  she  believed  to  be 
Todd  himself  was  in  town  and  aware  of  her  trick- 
ery. But  still  she  hesitated.  The  law  was  after  Joe. 
The  sloop  was  his  one  means  of  safety  and  she 
realized  weakly  that  she  did  not  have  the  strength 
to  take  it  from  him,  besmirched  as  she  was  with  her 
own  deceit.  Besides,  she  had  asked  the  boy  to  forge 
a  check,  and  though  she  was  firmly  convinced  that 
he  had  done  so  often  before  she  had  asked  him  and 
that  he  was  ready  and  willing  to  do  it  again,  yet 
he  had  sinned  for  her,  at  her  instigation  and  she  felt 
as  though  she  was  the  one  who  had  done  it.  She  was 
responsible  for  him  and  could  not  stand  in  his  way 
when  he  had  done  what  he  had  for  her. 

The  maid,  frightened  and  nervous,  appeared  in 
'the  doorway  and  asked  if  she  were  going  to  have 
any  breakfast.  Molly  nodded  and  turned  wearily 
from  the  window,  glad  to  have  something  definite  to 
do  other  than  to  think.  But  she  could  not  eat  and 
simply  made  a  pretense  at  doing  so  before  the  girl, 
who  was  watching  her  with  round-eyed  curiosity, 
not  yet  recovered  from  the  shock  of  seeing  chauffeur 
turn  master.  Molly  knew  that  there  was  a  torrent 

367 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

of  questions  behind  the  rosy  mouth  and  put  on  an  air 
of  coldness  that  silenced  the  girl  effectually.  J 

If  she  were  going  to  consent  to  Joe's  running  off 
with  the  sloop,  the  least  she  could  do  was  to  carry 
on  the  pretense  of  which  she  was  now  heartily  sick 
and  make  out  before  the  servants  that  she  had  or- 
dered the  sloop  brought  around  and  that  she  was 
going  herself.  Pushing  away  her  plate,  she  rose 
and  went  down  to  the  little  wharf  where  Bates  and 
the  gardener  were  hard  at  work,  busy  and  excited 
over  the  change  in  their  work. 

With  the  grave  air  of  the  proprietress  Molly  knew 
so  well  how  to  assume,  she  boarded  the  small  vessel 
and  went  all  over  it,  waving  aside  Bates'  offer  as 
guide  on  the  ground  that  she  wished  the  boat  made 
shipshape  as  soon  as  possible  and  didn't  care  to 
take  him  from  his  task.  With  housewifely  instincts, 
she  took  all  the  sheets  and  bedding  out  of  the  lock- 
ers with  her  own  hands,  to  Bates'  admiration,  and 
hung  them  to  air  on  the  roof  of  the  tiny  cabin.  A 
motor-boat  puffed  up  as  she  was  so  occupied  and 
some  one  hailed  her  joyfully. 

"Whither  away,  fair  lady?" 

Pausing  a  moment,  her  arms  rilled  with  gaily  col- 
ored blankets,  the  wind  whipping  the  stray  locks  into 
her  eyes,  her  cheeks  crimson  with  the  unwonted  ex- 

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ercise,  she  glanced  over  the  rail  and  beheld  Han- 
cock and  the  unlosable  James  in  a  motor-boat  be- 
low. That  they,  like  the  automobile,  had  come  to 
stay  was  clearly  evident.  Hancock  was  already  mak- 
ing the  boat  fast  to  the  dock  and  James  was  busy 
with  the  engine.  Molly's  heart  sank  as  she  realized 
with  what  friendly  persistency  they  would  follow 
her  around  all  the  morning.  Though  James  was 
ignorant  of  her  duplicity,  Hancock  knew  of  it  and 
she  hated  to  think  of  what  he  would  surmise  she 
was  up  to  now,  apparently  going  off  with  her  mis- 
tress' yacht. 

"He  knows  what  I  have  done,  but  he  has  never 
seen  me  do  it  and  so  he  can't  fully  realize  all  the 
significance  of  it,"  she  thought  miserably.  "I  hate 
to  have  him  see  a  thief  working  at  his — her — trade." 

"I'm  escaping  from  the  clutches  of  the  law,"  she 
called  back  with  a  certain  grim  gaiety,  looking 
straight  at  Hancock  with  a  significant  little  smile. 

"I  shall  help  you,"  returned  Hancock,  laughing 
and  not  believing  her  as  she  knew  he  wouldn't 
Hadn't  he  forgiven  her  and  asked  her  to  be  his  wife 
and  had  she  not  consented?  Her  slight  irregularities, 
as  he  liked  to  think  of  them,  could  be  settled  quietly 
without  any  one  but  himself  being  aware  of  them. 
She  was  fooling,  for  she  had  no  reason,  at  least,  no 

369 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

necessity,  to  be  escaping.  He  climbed  happily  to  the 
deck  and  went  aboard  the  yacht,  followed  as  usual 
by  James. 

The  water,  as  blue  as  the  sky,  was  pounding 
against  the  tiny  wharf  and  the  rocks  with  a  gurgling 
splash  and  ripple.  The  air  was  clear  and  cool,  with 
a  tang  in  it  that  made  one  light-hearted  and  inconse- 
quential. And  the  wind  from  the  east  brought  the 
salt  brine  in  its  breath  and  whipped  the  blood  into 
one's  cheeks.  The  bell-buoy  laughed  and  beckoned 
and  the  sea-gulls,  wheeling  in  graceful  flight  or 
pruning  themselves  on  the  rocks,  lent  an  air  of  flight, 
of  unknown  adventures  and  voyages  to  enchanted 
lands  far  away.  Hancock  and  James  were  full  of 
the  spirit  of  the  day  and  laughed  and  chatted  in- 
defatigably,  arousing  Molly  from  her  brooding  in 
spite  of  herself. 

Together  they  finished  laying  out  the  bedding, 
swept  the  cabin  and  pottered  around  in  the  tiny 
kitchen.  James  was  happily  indifferent  to  what  the 
bustle  foretold,  Hancock  thought  that  the  real  Mrs. 
Todd  had  sent  word  that  she  would  be  up  soon  and 
wished  the  boat  put  in  order.  Alone  for  a  moment 
in  the  kitchen  with  the  girl,  James  having  been  sent 
on  deck  on  an  errand  invented  on  the  inspiration  of 
the  moment,  Hancock  slipped  his  arm  around  Molly's 

370 


THE    WEAK    LINK 

waist  and  drew  her  to  him  as  she  stood  in  front  of 

the  dresser,  a  jar  of  ancient  preserves  in  each  hand, 
a  row  of  pans  and  tins  before  her. 

"Molly,"  he  whispered,  "do  you  know  what  I 
have  been  thinking  since  you  told  me  yesterday?" 

"No,"  said  the  girl,  wondering  if,  as  a  culmination 
of  her  troubles,  he  was  going  to  repent  of  his  rash 
bargain  and  ask  to  be  released. 

"I've  been  thinking,"  went  on  the  ecstatic  youth, 
"that  now  you  are  mine  alone,  dear.  No  one  from 
the  grave  has  a  right  to  a  single  one  of  your 
thoughts.  No  one  has  a  prior  claim  on  you.  I  only 
needed  that  knowledge  to  make  my  joy  complete. 
I  hated  to  think  of  that  other  who  had  once — " 

"Man  ahoy,"  yelled  James,  putting  his  head  in 
the  door,  while  Molly  and  Hancock  drew  hastily 
apart  and  followed  him  on  deck  with  more  speed 
than  the  occasion  warranted. 

Down  the  cliffs,  strolling  along  the  edge  of  the 
lawn  toward  them,  airily  twirling  his  cane,  his  hat 
on  the  back  of  his  head,  came  Holmes  in  the  light 
gray  costume  of  Algernon's  taste,  which  he  had  so 
admired  and  so  faithfully  copied.  Molly  had  ex- 
pected the  stranger,  ordered  by  Joe,  to  come  up  as 
soon  as  possible  and  her  heart  sank  as  she  saw  who 
it  was.  Todd  would,  of  course,  refuse  to  allow  Joe 

371 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

to  go  off  with  his  sloop,  and  how  else  could  the  boy 
get  away? 

"I  shall  take  him  up  to  the  house  and  keep  him 
there,"  thought  the  girl  desperately.  "I  shall  keep 
him  so  occupied  that  Joe  can  come  back  and  get 
away  on  the  boat  before  he  knows  what  has  hap- 
pened. I  shall  pretend  now  that  I  have  received 
word  from  his  mother  to  get  it  in  order." 

She  waved  to  him  gaily,  and  unmindful  of  the 
faithful  two  beside  her,  ran  lightly  down  the  gang- 
plank and  across  the  wharf. 

"Good  morning,"  said  she  gaily.  "Did  you  want 
to  see  me?" 

Holmes  raised  his  hat  "The  sight  is  always  a 
pleasure,"  said  he.  "But  I  can't  say  I  came  for  that 
alone." 

"Is  there  any  special  thing  that  you  did  come 
for?"  asked  the  girl  anxiously. 

Holmes  shook  his  head.  "No.  I  was  bored  to 
death  as  usual  and  so  came  around  to  kill  time. 
That's  all,  believe  me.  What  are  you  doing  to  the 
boat?" 

"Don't  you  want  to  come  to  the  house?"  asked 
Molly. 

Holmes  waved  a  greeting  to  Hancock  and  James, 
372 


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who  were  watching  them  from  the  deck,  before  he 
answered.  It  was  best  to  go  to  the  house  and  keep 
under  cover  as  much  as  possible,  he  decided.  He 
could  come  down  before  the  boat  was  ready  to  sail 
and  board  her.  If  he  hung  around  now  and  the 
constable  arrived,  the  fellow  would  be  sure  to  come 
down  to  the  wharf  to  see  what  was  going  on,  and 
though  it  would  not  enter  his  head  that  the  Todds' 
yacht  would  be  used  for  the  escape  of  a  forger 
wanted  by  the  law,  he  might  insist  on  searching  it, 
or  at  least  going  through  it  out  of  curiosity  and  he 
would  then  come  on  him,  clearly  in  hiding  and 
answering  to  the  description  the  fellow  must 
have  received  from  the  New  York  police.  Yes,  on 
the  whole,  it  would  be  better  to  go  to  the  house  and 
remain  there  as  long  as  possible. 

"What  are  you  doing  to  the  sloop?"  he  asked 
again,  turning  to  the  girl  with  a  puzzled  frown. 

Molly  laughed  lightly.  "Putting  it  in  order  in 
case  I  have  to  run  away,"  said  she,  and  added,  seri- 
ously, as  he  did  not  even  smile  and  her  heart  sank 
lower  than  ever :  "Your  mother  wrote  yesterday  for 
me  to  get  it  in  order.  I  don't  know  why.  Maybe  she 
is  coming  back  sooner  than  we  thought." 

Holmes  nodded  carelessly,  accepting  her  state- 
373 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

ment  as  readily  as  it  was  given,  while  Hancock, 
moodily  jealous  again,  joined  them,  followed  by 
James. 

"That's  a  nice  little  sloop,"  said  Holmes,  nodding 
toward  the  boat  and  turning  to  the  men. 

James  agreed  enthusiastically,  and  the  two  fell  in 
step  together  as  Molly  and  Hancock  led  the  way  to 
the  house. 

The  girl  chatted  with  feverish  gaiety  and  urged 
them  all  into  the  hall,  to  Hancock's  surprise  and 
Holmes'  satisfaction.  Holmes  strolled  to  the  win- 
dow, watched  the  preparations  going  on  on  the  sloop 
for  a  moment  and  then  turned  with  sudden  spon- 
taneity to  the  girl. 

"Molly,"  said  he,  "I  believe  I  shall  go  north  in 
the  yacht.  By  jove,  that's  a  good  idea.  It  just  came 
to  me." 

Molly  flushed  and  thought  of  the  boy  who  was 
planning  to  escape  in  that  same  yacht.  She  must 
save  it  for  him  at  all  costs.  "What  will  Mrs.  Todd 
say?"  she  asked,  indifferent  to  what  the  others 
thought.  "You  will  have  to  wait  until  she  comes." 

Hancock  flushed.  He  was  glad  the  girl  was  not 
Mrs.  Todd,  and  yet  the  fact  of  her  deceit  thus  openly 
brought  to  his  notice  was  a  shock.  He  tried  not  to 
hear  the  rest  of  the  conversation,  wondering  who 

374 


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Holmes  was  that  he  should  decide  to  take  a  stran- 
ger's yacht  thus  coolly  in  the  owner's  absence. 

Holmes  shrugged.  "That's  all  right,"  said  he 
carelessly,  forgetful  of  James.  "It's  my  yacht,  you 
know.  Mama  won't  care." 

Round  fat  James  was  staring  with  open  mouth. 
He  started  to  speak,  remembered  that  he  was  a 
stranger  to  the  Todds  and  resolutely  closed  his 
mouth  and  turned  away  that  he  might  not  hear  what 
was  going  on.  Hancock  stared  dully,  frankly 
curious. 

Molly  nodded,  thinking  of  Joe  and  determined  to 
keep  the  sloop  for  him  if  she  could.  She  would  dis- 
tract Holmes'  attention  from  the  boat  in  the  hope 
that  Joe  would  return  with  the  provisions  and  pos- 
sibly the  strange  accomplice,  and  taking  them  di- 
rectly to  the  sloop,  sail  without  returning  to  the 
house.  "I  know  it  is  yours  and  you  can  do  as  you 
want,  but  the  boat  has  not  been  used  all  summer  and 
I  do  not  believe  it  can  be  put  in  order  in  one  day." 

"I  didn't  say  I  was  going  to-day,"  said  Holmes 

coldly. 

'No,"  said  Molly,  flushing  angrily  at  the  insolence 
the  man's  tones  for  his  servant.  "No,  I  under- 
stood that,  but  I  thought  you  probably  wanted  to  go 
to-day." 

375 


in 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"I  wanted  to  go  yesterday  for  the  matter  of  that," 
said  Holmes  with  a  weary  lift  of  his  shoulders. 

"I  do  not  see  how  you  can  take  the  Todds'  yacht 
without  asking  them,"  said  Hancock,  driven  to  speak 
by  intolerable  suspense.  Could  this  man  be  Todd? 

Holmes  glanced  at  him  and  then  away  indiffer- 
ently. "I  am  Todd,"  said  he,  and  suddenly  remem- 
bering James'  presence  with  sickening  fear,  he 
winked  at  him  as  though  to  include  him  in  the  joke 
he  was  playing  on  his  friend  Hancock.  James  was 
staring  at  him  with  great  round  eyes  and  the  wink 
relieved  the  congestion  in  his  head.  Surely  it  was  a 
joke.  Holmes  was  always  a  humorous  fellow,  ever 
ready  for  a  joke.  If  Algernon  wished  to  masquerade 
as  Holmes,  there  was  no  reason  that  James  could  see 
why  Holmes  shouldn't  masquerade  as  Algernon. 
The  whole  affair  was  beyond  his  comprehension  any- 
way, beyond  any  sane  person's  comprehension,  and 
James,  remembering  with  relief  that  he  was  a  stran- 
ger to  the  Todds,  dismissed  the  solution  of  the  rid- 
dle with  a  hopeless  sigh. 

"Todd?"  questioned  Hancock,  glancing  at  Molly. 

The  girl  nodded  and  tried  to  laugh.  "He  pre- 
tended to  be  Patterson  to  help  me  out,"  said  she, 
while  James  withdrew  to  the  terrace,  feeling  that  he 

376 


THE    WEAK    LINK 

could  not  remain  calm  and  aloof  while  Holmes  and 
Patterson  and  Todd  were  all  one  and  no  one. 

Holmes  explained,  magnanimously  waving  aside 
any  praise.  "My  car  broke  down  as  I  was  passing 
through  on  my  way  north.  I  was  a  bit  surprised  to 
find  mama's  place  taken,  but  I  saw  the  joke  and  as 
Miss  O'Toole  has  been  a  most  estimable  housekeeper, 
I  didn't  see  any  harm  in  letting  it  go  on,  as  I  ex- 
pected to  leave  any  day  for  the  north  and  didn't  want 
my  trip  interfered  with  by  domestic  difficulties." 

"I  see,"  said  Hancock  coldly,  not  looking  at  the 
girl,  feeling  for  her  the  shame  he  knew  she  felt  at 
this  frank  way  of  stating  the  case  and  her  position. 

"Where's  that  young  fellow  you  have  around  as 
chauffeur?"  asked  Holmes,  turning  to  Molly.  "I 
do  not  see  why,  with  his  help,  the  boat  couldn't  be 
put  in  first-class  order  and  provisioned  so  I  could 
sail  early  to-morrow." 

"I  don't  see  why  not,"  agreed  Molly  readily. 
"Joe  went  to  the  village  for  me  on  an  errand.  He 
will  be  back  soon.  Why  don't  you  come  into  the  li- 
brary and  wait  for  him?"  The  library  was  back  of 
the  hall  and  a  car  coming  up  the  drive  could  not  be 
so  clearly  heard. 

"I  believe  I  shall,"  said  Holmes.   The  library  was 

377 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

away  from  the  front  of  the  house  and  would  allow 
one  to  slip  out  in  case  some  one  came  to  the  front 
door  unforeseen.  "I  can  make  out  a  list  of  things 
we  shall  need.  Really,  I  wonder  I  didn't  think  of 
the  boat  before." 

He  led  the  way  into  the  library  and  Molly  fol- 
lowed him,  not  caring  to  let  him  out  of  her  sight, 
and  Hancock  followed  Molly. 

Holmes  went  to  the  great  desk,  sat  down,  and  tak- 
ing a  sheet  of  Mrs.  Todd's  crested  paper,  began  to 
make  out  a  list,  consulting  Hancock  now  and  then 
as  to  the  different  items.  Hancock  became  interested 
and  both  were  soon  absorbed  recounting  this  and 
that  adventure  with  pleasure  and  slight  exaggera- 
tions, not  to  spoil  a  good  story.  Holmes  had  kicked 
around  the  world  all  his  life  and  if  he  changed  his 
adventures  from  cattle  steamers  on  the  Great  Lakes 
and  tramp  schooners  beating  around  the  Horn  to 
yachts  owned  by  himself  and  friends,  no  one  was  the 
wiser,  and  the  stories  were  as  good  as  those  Hancock 
told  and  as  true. 

Molly,  listening  anxiously  for  the  returning  car, 
heard  a  team  drive  up  and  stop,  heard  some  one  ring 
the  bell  which  was  cunningly  concealed  beneath  an 
old-fashioned  knocker,  heard  the  maid  go  to  the 
door  and  some  one  ask  if  Joseph  Holmes  worked 

378 


THE    WEAK    LINK 

there.  The  maid  said  yes,  but  he  had  gone  to  the 
village  for  Mrs.  Todd.  Did  the  man  want  to  see 
him?  Yes. 

"Come  in  and  wait  for  him,"  said  the  girl  nerv- 
ously. Was  Joe  a  chauffeur  or  was  he  not?  If  he 
was,  the  man  should  go  to  the  side  door  to  wait.  If 
he  wasn't,  she  could  with  all  propriety  ask  the 
stranger  into  the  front  hall.  Remembering  Joe  as 
she  had  last  seen  him,  sitting  at  his  mistress'  break- 
fast table,  issuing  orders  with  the  air  of  a  master, 
she  decided  that  she  didn't  know  what  to  do  and  the 
man  might  as  well  come  in. 

The  fellow  came  in,  and  Molly  went  out  to  meet 
him. 

"Joseph  Holmes  is  my  chauffeur,"  said  she  coldly. 
"Did  you  wish  to  see  him?" 

The  constable  removed  his  hat  and  nodded  while 
the  maid  precipitately  retired.  "Yes,  I  did,  ma'am. 
He  has  gone  to  the  village,  the  girl  says." 

"Yes,"  said  Molly.  "Won't  you  come  into  the 
drawing-room  and  wait?" 

"I  think  I  had  better  go  after  him,"  said  the  con- 
stable. 

"Do  you  want  to  arrest  him  for  any  reason?" 
asked  the  girl  boldly. 

The  constable  was  young  and  new  at  his  job  and 
379 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

not  quite  sure  how  to  go  about  it.  He  nodded  and 
explained  that  he  had  received  word  from  New 
York  to  find  the  fellow  and  arrest  him.  "He  hasn't 
been  your  chauffeur  long,  has  he?"  he  asked. 

"No,"  said  Molly.  "Only  a  few  weeks.  I  am 
shocked  and  surprised  to  hear  of  this.  Won't  you 
come  into  the  drawing-room  and  tell  my  stepson 
about  it?  We  like  the  boy  very  much.  I  am  sure  I 
do  not  know  what  to  do." 

"Glad  to  find  a  man  to  deal  with,"  the  constable 
agreed,  and  followed  the  girl  into  the  drawing-room 
which  was  on  the  side  of  the  house  away  from  the 
sea  and  out  of  sight  of  the  wharf  and  what  was 
being  done  there. 

"I  shall  get  Algy,"  said  Molly  hastily.  "Pleast  sit 
down." 

She  hurried  back  into  the  library  and  drew  the 
curtains  at  the  door. 

"What's  up?"  asked  Holmes,  who  had  heard  the 
colloquy  in  the  hall  and  judged  who  had  come. 

"The  constable,"  whispered  Molly,  thinking  of 
her  boy  and  that  she  must  save  him  at  all  costs. 
"Joe  must  have  done  something  in  New  York  that 
he  is  to  be  arrested  for.  Can't  we  help  him?" 

She  whispered  what  had  happened  and  begged 
the  two  to  help  her  keep  the  constable  occupied  so 

380 


THE    WEAK    LINK 

that  when  the  car  returned  she  could  slip  out  and 
warn  the  boy. 

"He  is  a  nice  boy,"  she  urged,  slipping  her  hand 
into  Hancock's  which  happened  to  be  near  her  own 
and  giving  it  a  pleading  little  squeeze.  "Give  him  a 
chance  to  get  away.  He  is  so  young.  Really,  he  isn't 
more  than  twenty-five.  Please  help  me  help  him?" 

"Jove,"  said  Holmes,  "I  don't  care  if  I  do.  It 
will  kill  time  and  be  amusing.  What  do  you  say, 
Hancock?  Are  you  ready  to  outwit  the  law?"  It 
would  be  almost  impossible  to  reach  the  boat  now 
without  the  constable  seeing  him  and  immediately 
guessing  his  identity.  It  would  be  best  to  face 
him  boldly  and  bluff  him  out  of  his  belief.  Molly 
and  Hancock  both  thought  him  Todd  and  would  tell 
the  constable  so  and  before  such  proof,  whatever  de- 
scription the  fellow  had  received  from  New  York 
would  be  discounted  in  his  favor. 

Hancock  laughed  and  nodded,  returning  the  sec- 
ond squeeze  with  a  thrill  of  pleasure. 

"Let's  see,"  said  Holmes,  pausing  on  his  way  to 
the  door  and  turning  to  Molly.  "You  are  Mrs.  Todd 
still  to  the  fellow  ?  What  relation  are  you  and  I  ?" 

"Stepmother  and  son,"  whispered  the  girl. 

Holmes  nodded,  chuckled  and  led  the  way  from 
the  room. 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

Molly  followed  them  to  the  drawing-room  door 
and  lingered  there  to  catch  the  first  sound  of  the  re- 
turning car. 

"Howdy-do,"  drawled  Holmes.  "I  hear  you  have 
come  to  arrest  my  man." 

The  constable  nodded  and  drew  out  some  papers 
which  he  consulted  nervously.  "The  despatch  says 
Joseph  Holmes." 

"Describes  him,  I  suppose?"  questioned  Hancock, 
with  an  air  of  serious  doubt  as  to  whether  the  chauf- 
feur was  the  man  wanted.  "This  Joe  may  not  be  the 
one  you  want." 

"They  telegraphed  his  description  but  hadn't  time 
yet  to  send  his  photo,"  said  the  man,  running 
through  his  papers.  "He  is  tall,  and  they  say  in  the 
village  that  this  Holmes  is  tall." 

Holmes  nodded.  "He  is  a  tall  fellow,  but  I  am  tall 
myself." 

"And  so  am  I,"  said  Hancock  gravely. 

The  constable  laughed  and  waved  aside  the  impli- 
cation as  a  good  joke.  "He  has  black  hair  and  a  sal- 
low complexion." 

"My  hair  is  black,"  said  Hancock  and  gravely 
patted  it. 

"So  is  mine,"  added  Holmes,  "and  my  complexion 
sallow." 

382 


THE   WEAK    LINK 

"You've  made  a  mistake  somewhere,"  declared 
Hancock,  positively  and  innocently,  never  doubting 
for  a  moment  Holmes'  identity.  Had  not  Molly  said 
he  was  Todd?  "This  Joe  is  tall  and  his  complexion 
is  sallow,  but  he  has  sandy  hair,  not  black.  Are  you 
sure  he  is  the  one?" 

"He  could  have  bleached  his  hair,"  suggested 
Holmes. 

The  constable  frowned  angrily,  worried.     "His 
name  is  Joseph  Holmes,  isn't  it?" 
"Yes,"  said  Holmes. 

"He  came  about  three  weeks  ago,  didn't  he?" 
"Yes,"   doubtfully.    "I  believe  so.     I   have  just 
come  myself  and  I  am  not  sure  when  he  did  come. 
Mama  hired  him  in  my  absence.   Suppose  I  go  and 
question  her?" 

"If  I  could  question  her,"  said  the  constable  ea- 
gerly. 

"I  shall  send  her  in,"  said  Holmes,  already  at  the 
door.  "Mr.  Hancock  has  known  the  fellow  longer 
than  I  have.  He  can  answer  your  questions  even 
better  than  I." 

He  went  out  and  found  that  Molly,  who  had  been 
listening  eagerly  at  the  front  door,  had  slipped  out 
to  the  terrace  where  she  could  watch  the  distant 
gates,  but  could  not  see  him  as  he  passed  through  the 

383 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

hall  and  out  one  of  the  side  windows.  He  came  on 
James  on  the  side  terrace. 

Holmes'  heart  sank  at  the  sight  of  the  fat  little 
man.  He  had  left  the  room  out  of  sheer  nervous- 
ness, in  the  desire  to  get  somewhere  out  of  sight  of 
the  constable,  intending  to  go  to  the  sloop  and  re- 
main concealed,  trusting  Hancock  to  keep  the  fellow 
engaged  until  Todd  returned  and  he  could  get  away 
safely  in  the  boat  If  the  constable  grew  ugly  and 
suspicious  before  Todd  did  come,  he  would  simply 
put  up  the  sails  and  leave  without  waiting  for  pro- 
visions, no  matter  what  Bates  or  the  gardener 
said.  He  was  desperate  and  had  no  intention  of  run- 
ning any  chances.  But  coming  upon  James  on  the 
side  terrace,  his  heart  sank.  James  knew  everything, 
was  the  one  weak  link  in  his  chain.  The  little  fellow 
must  be  hopelessly  puzzled  now  as  it  was,  and  it  was 
mighty  decent  in  him  to  hold  his  tongue  and  say 
nothing.  He  strolled  up  to  James  and  laid  a  hand 
on  his  shoulder.  He  would  take  James  into  his  con- 
fidence and  make  an  aid  of  him  on  the  strength  of 
their  former  business  relations  with  each  other. 

As  frankly  as  he  had  told  Algernon  his  troubles, 
he  now  retold  them  to  James  in  a  low  voice  that  no 
one  might  overhear,  leading  the  little  man  down  the 
terrace  steps  and  half-way  across  the  lawn. 

384 


THE    WEAK    LINK 

Algernon  was  helping  him  to  get  away,  he  ex- 
claimed and  he  asked  James  to  do  the  same,  simply 
and  with  no  excuse  as  to  his  own  conduct 

"I  forged  and  I  want  to  get  away.  Will  you  help 
me?"  he  asked  frankly,  bluntly. 

"What  can  I  do?"  stammered  James  in  surprise. 
He  didn't  want  to  see  any  one  arrested.  It  must  be 
so  deucedly  embarrassing. 

"Just  keep  the  constable  engaged  and  distracted  a 
bit.  If  he  describes  this  Holmes  he  is  after,  don't 
let  him  think  of  me,  see?  I'm  Todd  and  don't  let 
him  think  for  a  moment  otherwise.  Distract  him, 
get  his  thoughts  on  other  subjects." 

"Golf  would  be  good,"  thought  James  aloud. 
Golf  was  his  one  hobby. 

"Just  so,"  agreed  Holmes,  wondering  if  the  con- 
stable would  know  what  golf  was.  "Try  him  on 
that  and  other  subjects.  Just  keep  him  talking  until 
Todd  returns  with  the  provisions  and  I  can  get  off 
in  the  yacht." 

"Why,  yes,"  said  James  kindly,  seeing  light 
through  the  darkness  of  the  riddles  that  had  been 
making  him  think  more  and  harder  than  he  liked  to 
think.  "Why,  yes,  I  shall  be  glad  to." 

"Thank  you,"  said  Holmes. 

They  shook  hands  gravely  and  James  returned  to 
385 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

the  house  while  Holmes  strolled  carelessly  down  to 
the  yacht,  not  daring  to  run  lest  he  be  seen  and  the 
sight  cause  unfavorable  comment  from  the  constable. 
On  the  sloop  he  told  the  astonished  Bates  that  he 
would  help  him  in  the  cabin  and  withdrew  thither, 
keeping  discreetly  out  of  sight. 

Molly  was  still  on  the  terrace  in  front  of  the  house 
and  did  not  see  James  as  he  passed  through  the  hall 
into  the  drawing-room.  The  girl  lingered  where  she 
was  until  far  down  the  drive,  turning  in  at  the  gates, 
she  saw  the  great  red  touring  car  and  Joe  at  the 
wheel.  Then  she  hurried  into  the  hall,  listened  a  mo- 
ment near  the  drawing-room,  heard  the  constable, 
James  and  Hancock  arguing  strenuously  the  possi- 
bility that  Algernon  was  not  Holmes,  and  crept  to 
the  window  to  watch  what  was  going  on  down  at  the 
wharf,  wondering  in  her  excitement  why  Joe  was 
alone.  Where  was  his  accomplice?  The  voices  in 
the  room  beyond  rose  and  fell.  James  and  Hancock 
were  indignant,  the  constable  was  torn  between 
doubt  and  anger,  and  the  girl  listened  and  watched 
in  breathless  fear. 

Could  they  keep  the  constable  long  enough  to  give 
her  boy  a  chance  to  get  away?  Why  didn't  they  go 
faster  down  there  at  the  wharf?  She  saw  that 

386 


THE    WEAK    LINK 

Holmes  was  helping,  and  believing  him  Todd  and 
that  he  was  aware  of  Joe's  guilt,  blessed  him  in  her 
heart.  They  were  working  with  feverish  haste,  but 
to  the  agonized  girl  at  the  window  they  seemed  to 
be  crawling  about  their  task.  It  was  hours  to  her 
since  the  car  had  stopped  at  the  wharf  until  the  mo- 
ment when  Bates  staggered  into  the  cabin  with  the 
last  armful  of  goods.  And  just  as  he  did  so,  the  doors 
of  the  drawing-room,  closed  by  James  on  the  ground 
that  Mrs.  Todd  did  not  care  to  have  the  rest  of  the 
servants  know  that  one  of  their  number  was  under 
suspicion,  opened  and  the  three  men  came  out,  Han- 
cock and  James  still  talking,  the  constable  silently 
and  grimly  determined  to  fool  no  longer  but  to 
search  the  place. 

With  flaming  cheeks  and  her  heart  beating  so 
that  it  stifled  her,  the  girl  took  one  last  quick  glance 
out  of  the  window  before  she  turned  to  meet  the 
men.  She  drew  a  breath  of  relief  and  smiled,  for 
she  saw  the  white  sails  of  the  little  craft  fill  and  the 
boat  slowly  turn  toward  the  sea  and  the  dancing 
white  caps.  Then  her  eye  fell  on  the  intervening 
space  between  the  wharf  and  the  house  and  saw  the 
car.  She  grew  slowly  white  and  leaned  against  the 
wall  for  support.  The  car  was  coming  directly  to 

387 


THE1  UPPER    CRUST 

the  house  across  the  lawn  and  Joe  was  at  the  wheel. 
Why  had  he  not  gone  on  the  boat  whose  white  sails 
she  could  glimpse  as  it  joyously  beat  its  way  against 
the  wind  toward  the  open  sea? 


CHAPTER  XIX 

WITH  ALL  HER  FAULTS 

ALGERNON  got  out  the  car  and  reached 
North  Brockton  at  a  rate  of  speed  that 
lowered  Elizabeth's  heretofore  unbroken  and  uncon- 
tested  record.  Higgins,  on  the  stoop  of  the  village 
emporium,  surmised  that  some  one  was  sick  "up  to 
the  Crags." 

"Dyin',"  old  man  Brown  opined,  cutting  off  a 
"chaw"  of  tobacco  with  loving  solicitude. 

Algernon  did  not  leave  the  car,  but  called  Higgins 
and  left  the  order  to  be  put  up  and  ready  for  him 
by  the  time  he  returned  from  Brockton.  He  had 
some  despatches  to  send  and  preferred  to  take  them 
himself  rather  than  have  them  telephoned  to  the 
telegraph  office  by  Higgins.  Understand? 

Higgins  understood  and  the  great  red  car  leaped 
forward,  becoming  merely  a  whir,  a  flash  and  a 
cloud  of  dirt,  out  of  sight  as  soon  as  sighted. 

Brockton  was  a  small  Maine  seacoast  town,  with 
one  straggling  main  street  twisting  down  to  a 
crumbling  old  wharf,  a  score  or  so  of  houses  reach  - 

389 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

ing  back  up  the  hill,  and  a  tumbled  mass  of  rickety 
boat  sheds  fringing  the  village  water-front.  The 
telegraph  office  was  in  the  railroad  station  and 
Algernon  brought  the  dust-covered  car  to  a  stop 
before  it  and  went  in. 

The  operator  read  the  messages  that  Algernon 
wrote  and  pushed  across  the  scratched  and  dirty 
counter  toward  him.  One  was  to  the  shipping  office 
in  Montreal,  ordering  a  stateroom  to  be  reserved 
on  the  Mary  Edwards,  leaving  Montreal  in  two 
days,  for  Algernon  Todd,  who  had  been  hastily 
called  to  England  and  would  meet  the  ship  in  the 
gulf.  The  other-  was  to  his  lawyers  to  telegraph 
him  a  thousand  dollars  as  soon  as  possible.  He  did 
not  make  the  amount  any  larger  for  he  judged  there 
was  not  a  bank  in  town  that  could  raise  a  larger  sum 
within  a  week.  The  operator  counted  the  words, 
looked  up  New  York  in  his  book,  calculated  the  price 
and  announced  it,  glancing  at  Algernon. 

"Two  dollars." 

"Send  them  C.  O.  D.,"  said  Algernon  carelessly, 
wiping  his  streaming  forehead  and  turning  to  leave 
the  place. 

"Who  are  you?"  asked  the  youth  beyond  the 
counter,  regarding  Algernon  coldly. 

"Todd,"  said  Algernon,  with  a  slight  flush  of 
390 


WITH    ALL    HER    FAULTS 

anger  at  the  faint  suspicion  he  saw  in  the  other's 
eyes.  "Algernon  Van  Rensellear  Todd,  from  North 
Brockton,  you  know.  The  Crags  is  my  place." 
He  explained  more  and  more  desperately  as  he  saw 
the  growing  incredulity  in  the  grim  young  face  op- 
posing his. 

"Todd  ain't  here,"  said  the  boy.  "Hasn't  been 
all  summer.  I've  seen  you  before.  You're  the 
chauffeur." 

Algernon  flushed  a  deep  crimson  and  his  utter 
helplessness  to  prove  his  own  identity  rushed  over 
him.  For  a  month  he  had  masqueraded  as  his 
mother's  chauffeur.  Even  Molly  would  hardly  con- 
ceive it  possible  that  he  was  Todd,  a  self-swindler. 
No  one  would  believe  it,  could  believe  it.  Algernon 
thrust  his  hands  into  his  pockets  and  regarded  the 
cool  imperturbable  youth  on  the  other  side  of  the 
counter  with  an  exasperated  sneer.  To  claim  to  be 
Todd  was  not  only  impossible  for  the  time,  but  fool- 
ish. He  would  have  to  continue  as  his  chauffeur. 

"Send  those  C.  O.  D.,"  he  ordered  sternly  with  a 
hopeless  attempt  at  intimidation  or  hypnotism. 

"Can't  do  it,"  said  the  boy.    "You  ain't  Todd." 

"Certainly  not,"  said  Algernon,  scorning  to  be 
Todd.  "I  am  his  chauffeur.  He  wants  those  sent 
at  once.  He  is  responsible  for  them." 

391 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"When  did  he  come?" 

"Come?" 

"He  ain't  here,  ain't  been  here  all  summer." 

"No,  but  Mrs.  Todd  is  and  she  wants  those  sent 
at  once." 

"If  she  wanted  them  sent,  why  didn't  she  write 
them  herself?"  asked  the  boy. 

"Write  them  herself?"  repeated  Algernon  dully. 

The  boy  nodded.  "You  wrote  them  when  you 
came  in." 

"She  told  me  what  to  say,"  explained  Algernon, 
with  a  sickening  feeling  at  the  pit  of  his  stomach 
that  his  tones  were  not  so  convincing  as  they  should 
be,  the  more  he  strove  to  make  them  so. 

"All  right,"  said  the  boy.  "But  it's  just  possible 
you  didn't  say  it  You  give  me  the  money  and  I 
will  send  these,  or  else  get  Mrs.  Todd's  signature. 
I  can't  send  them  unless  you  do." 

"Ye  gods,"  snapped  Algernon,  "save  me  from  the 
asinine  stupidity  of  the  country !" 

"And  me  from  the  goositen  stupidity  of  the  city !" 
said  the  boy  cheerfully. 

Algernon  felt  helplessly  in  all  of  his  pockets.  He 
knew  that  there  was  not  a  coin  in  any  of  them,  but 
hoped  with  the  senseless  hope  of  desperation  and  de- 
spair to  find  one.  The  terrible  oppression  of  ab- 

392 


WITH    ALL    HER    FAULTS 

solute  and  complete  pennilessness  was  awful,  mad- 
dening, unbearable. 

Then  he  smiled  with  relief.  "Lend  me  the 
money,"  said  he  to  the  boy  with  the  confidence  and 
assurance  of  one  who  had  but  to  ask  to  receive. 
What  a  fool  he  had  been  not  to  have  asked  to  bor- 
row it  before ! 

"Oh,  sure!"  said  the  boy  with  thinly  veiled  sar- 
casm. "Come  around  Saturday  and  I  will  give  you 
my  pay  envelope.  Don't  talk  about  lending  between 
friends." 

"I  shall  leave  you  the  car  as  security,"  pleaded 
Algernon. 

The  boy  glanced  out  of  the  dingy  door  at  the  big 
throbbing  car  in  the  narrow  dusty  street,  already  an 
object  of  pleasurable  .scrutiny  to  the  village  con- 
tingency of  small  boys,  and  grunted.  "The  car  ain't 
yours,"  said  he  briefly. 

"Mrs.  Todd  will  pay  you." 

"Then  why  didn't  she  send  the  money  in  the  first 
place?" 

Algernon  looked  at  the  youth  a  moment  in  silence, 
wondering  how  long  he  could  restrain  himself  from 
laying  violent  hands  on  this  servant  of  the  public. 
Then  his  eye  caught  sight  of  the  telephone  and  he 
waved  toward  it  wearily. 

393 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"Telephone,  Mrs.  Todd,"  said  he.  "Tell  her  that 
Joe  is  here  and  that  you  refuse  to  send  the  telegrams 
she  wanted  me  to  send  this  morning.  Telephone 
her.  Why,  man,  these  despatches  are  important." 

For  one  moment  it  seemed  to  Algernon  that  the 
bluff  would  work.  The  boy  looked  at  him  sharply, 
half  believing,  hesitated,  reread  the  telegrams  and 
glanced  again  at  Algernon.  Then  he  walked  to  the 
telephone,  to  Algernon's  sickening  dismay,  and  rang 
up  North  Brockton.  Algernon  strove  to  appear 
perfectly  at  ease  and  lounged  against  the  counter, 
whistling  through  his  teeth. 

After  a  long  wait,  hours  to  Algernon,  and  many 
hotly  repeated  demands,  North  Brockton  was  con- 
nected and  after  another  argumentative  interval, 
the  Crags  was  put  on  the  line. 

"Hello,"  called  the  boy,  "is  this  the  Crags? 
What? — the  Crags? — Say,  could  I  speak  to  Mrs. 
Todd?— Yes— Todd,  Mrs.  Todd— What?— Oh, 
gone  out? — All  right  Thanks.  Good-by." 

He  hung  up  the  receiver  and  turned  to  Algernon, 
but  Algernon  was  already  at  the  door.  He  would 
go  to  the  Pines  and  borrow  the  money  from  James. 
James  had  met  him  as  a  stranger,  but  would  be 
willing  to  help  him  if  he  were  in  trouble.  Good  old 
James! 

394 


WITH    ALL    HER    FAULTS 

At  the  Pines,  Algernon  found  that  both  James 
and  Hancock  were  out,  had  gone  in  the  motor-boat 
and  were  not  expected  back  for  some  time.  Al- 
gernon went  to  the  garage,  and  as  one  chauffeur 
from  another,  borrowed  three  dollars  from  Han- 
cock's man. 

"I'll  return  this  to-morrow,  positively,"  swore 
Algernon  with  the  earnestness  of  one  who  has  al- 
ready been  doubted  and  has  only  his  own  word  to 
prove  his  assertion. 

"Aw,  no  hurry,"  said  the  other  kindly.  "I'm 
flush  just  at  present.  Can't  get  broke  up  in  this  gay 
metropolis." 

Back  in  the  telegraph  office  once  more,  Algernon 
grimly  laid  the  three  dollars  on  the  counter  and 
waved  aside  any  change. 

"Send  those  telegrams  as  fast  as  you  can,  or  I'll 
report  you,"  said  he  coldly  and  stalked  majestically 
away,  rehabilitated  in  his  own  sight  with  the  size 
of  his  tip  and  his  stern  reproof. 

"Great  guns !"  he  thought  as  the  car  turned  out  of 
Brockton  and  took  the  road  for  home,  "what  a  dam- 
nable thing  it  must  be  not  to  have  any  money  and 
no  way  to  get  any,  no  one  willing  to  lend.  Poor  old 
Molly,  no  wonder  she  wanted  to  marry  Hancock!" 

All  the  way  home  he  kept  thinking  of  the  girl  and 
395 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 
I* 

his  wounded  love.  The  circumstances  all  pointed  to 
her  guilt,  and  the  last  month  had  shaken  his  belief 
in  her  word.  He  was  sick  with  disgust  at  the  whole 
affair  and  at  the  knowledge  that  he  still  cared  for 
the  girl,  that  he  would  not,  could  not  leave  her  be- 
hind. She  had  said  she  would  marry  him  and  he 
knew  that  she  meant  it  and  that  he  would  ask  her 
to  again,  that  he  wanted  her  above  everything  and 
in  spite  of  everything.  All  the  way  home,  he  fought 
his  love,  knowing  it  would  conquer  him  in  the  end. 
He  told  himself  that  she  was  an  unscrupulous 
woman,  that  he  had  trusted  her  because  her  eyes 
were  big  and  blue  and  her  hair  was  soft  and  curly 
and  dark,  clinging  to  her  neck  and  temples  in  tiny 
ringlets,  and  that  she  had  betrayed  him. 

Again  he  recalled  that  Sunday  when  she  had 
wheedled  his  secret  from  him.  She  felt  that  her  time 
was  drawing  to  a  close  and  that  the  opportunity  she 
had  always  longed  for  to  marry  a  rich  man,  which 
had  come  to  her  in  this  out-of-the-way  corner  of  the 
world,  was  slipping  from  her  grasp,  never  to  return, 
and  in  her  desperation  she  had  resorted  to  anything 
to  get  rid  of  the  troublesome  Patterson  without  her- 
self forbidding  him  the  grounds  and  creating  talk. 
He  remembered  that  she  had  gone  across  the  bay 
Monday  morning  in  her  motor-boat  to  Brockton.  She 

396 


•• 

WITH    ALL    HER    FAULTS 

had  probably  telegraphed  then.  There  was  no  one 
else  who  could  have  done  so,  no  one  else  who  knew 
about  Patterson.  He  forget  about  the  broken  boiler 
and  that  Holmes  had  been  traced  through  it,  his 
hired  chauffeur  having  telegraphed  a  confirmation 
of  the  law's  demand  if  Holmes  was  not  there.  Yes, 
the  circumstances  were  all  against  her,  and  yet  he 
loved  her,  could  feel  still  how  soft  her  hands  were 
as  she  had  clung  to  him  and  he  had  prevented  her 
from  kneeling,  could  hear  her  voice  laughing  at 
him  from  the  dancing  waves  of  the  sea,  the  lilt  of 
the  springtime  in  its  laughing  cadence.  Yes,  the 
struggle  was  useless.  He  cared  for  her  and  always 
would,  no  matter  what  she  did,  no  matter  what  she 
was. 

He  stopped  at  the  village  store  and  filled  the 
tonneau  of  the  car  with  the  provisions  Higgins  had 
got  ready,  parrying  the  village  curiosity  with  the 
density  of  a  well-trained  servant.  He  knew  nothing 
about  Mrs.  Todd's  plans.  Yes,  he  supposed  she  was 
thinking  of  going  camping.  Yes,  that  was  prob- 
ably why  she  ordered  so  many  things.  No,  he 
couldn't  say  when  she  was  going.  He  just  knew  that 
he  had  been  ordered  to  get  the  things  and  so  he  was 
getting  them.  No,  he  didn't  know  if  she  expected 
Algernon  up  or  not,  supposed  she  did,  but  wasn't 

397 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

sure  when.  No,  Hancock  wasn't  going  with  her,  of 
course  not.  They  weren't  married.  No,  certainly 
not.  They  weren't  going  to  get  married,  hadn't 
any  intentions  of  doing  so. 

"Some  one  was  asking  for  you,"  said  Higgins, 
standing  aside  as  the  last  of  the  packages  was  stowed 
away  and  Algernon  was  cranking  the  car. 

"That  so?"  asked  Algernon.     "Who  was  it?" 

"The  constable,"  said  Higgins  cheerfully,  "from 
Brockton." 

Algernon  flushed.  "What'd  he  want  of  me?"  he 
asked  nervously.  He  had  hoped  Patterson  would 
be  able  to  get  away  before  the  constable  came. 

"Don't  know,"  said  Higgins,  thoroughly  enjoy- 
ing the  situation.  "He  asked  for  a  feller  named 
Joseph  Holmes,  and  we  sent  him  up  to  the  Crags." 

"Thanks,"  drawled  Algernon.  "I'll  go  on  up  and 
find  him." 

Algernon  did  not  stop  at  the  house  but  ran  the 
car  directly  across  the  lawn  to  the  steps  in  the  cliffs 
that  descended  to  the  wharf.  The  sloop  no  longer 
coquetted  with  the  dancing  waves  at  her  moorings 
some  distance  from  the  shore.  They  had  brought 
her  to  the  dock,  a  slim,  stanch  little  craft  and  while 
the  gardener  was  washing  down  the  decks,  Bates, 
forward,  was  getting  the  sails  ready,  whistling  in 

398 


WITH    ALL    HER    FAULTS 

shrill  and  happy  discords.  The  sun  shone  warm 
and  tenderly.  The  sea  was  as  blue  as  the  cloudless 
sky  and  a  little  breeze  ruffled  the  blankets  and  sheets 
of  the  cabin  which  were  airing  on  the  roof. 

At  the  sound  of  the  stopping  car,  Patterson 
emerged  from  the  cabin  door  and  strolled  to  the 
railing  and  down  the  deck  to  the  wharf.  He  was 
cool  and  blase,  in  his  immaculate  suit  of  pale  gray 
and  light  blue  silk  accessories :  tie,  socks  and  hat 
band.  He  came  languidly  up  to  the  car  and  peered 
at  the  bundles  in  the  tonneau,  waving  his  hand  in- 
differently toward  the  house. 

"The  constable  has  already  come,"  said  he. 

Algernon  nodded. 

"I  avoided  him  as  much  as  possible  and  came  on 
down  here  without  attracting  attention.  Mr.  Han- 
cock and  your  friend,  James,  came  over  in  the  mo- 
tor-boat and  are  up  there  now.  I  think  they  have 
rather  impressed  the  fellow,  and  Miss  O'Toole  has 
enlisted  them  to  help  her  keep  the  constable  from 
coming  over  to  this  side  of  the  house  and  seeing 
what's  going  on." 

"Did  he  try  to  search  the  place?" 

"No.  The  maid  met  him  at  the  door.  He  said 
he  wanted  Joseph  Holmes.  She  admitted  that  he 
worked  there,  but  said  that  he  had  gone  to  Brock- 

399 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

ton  on  an  errand  for  Mrs.  Todd.  He  would  be 
back  shortly,  and  the  constable  went  in  to  wait.  I 
got  out  as  soon  as  I  could  and  came  down  here." 

"Send  Bates  up  here,"  ordered  Algernon.  "We 
must  get  these  things  on  the  boat  as  soon  as  we  can, 
so  you  can  take  advantage  of  this  breeze.  You  can 
get  away  without  going  up  to  the  house  again. 
Bates  knows  as  much  about  a  boat  as  I  do,  and  he 
and  the  gardener  can  take  you  to  the  gulf.  I've 
telegraphed  the  Mary  Edwards  to  save  a  stateroom 
and  to  be  on  the  lookout  for  you.  The  constable 
didn't  have  the  slightest  idea  who  you  were,  did  he  ?" 

"No,"  said  Holmes,  "I  think  not  I  think  he  took 
me  for  you,  Todd." 

"Send  Bates  up  here,"  ordered  Algernon. 

But  Bates  was  already  half  across  the  wharf.  He 
had  always  admired  the  chauffeur  with  an  intense 
but  shamed  admiration,  for  he  had  never  before 
thought  it  possible  that  he  could  have  admired  any- 
one with  a  shady  past.  That  he  did  was  cause  for 
regret  and  of  doubt  as  to  his  own  invulnerable 
moral  worth.  But  since  that  morning,  admiration 
was  a  mild  word  for  the  absolute  adoration  with 
which  he  now  regarded  Algernon. 

"Bates,  you  and  Patterson  and  I  will  get  this 
400 


WITH    ALL    HER    FAULTS 

stuff  on  board.  Let  the  gardener  tend  to  the  sails. 
It  doesn't  matter  whether  things  are  exactly  ship- 
shape or  not  You  want  to  get  away  before  this 
breeze  falls  off.  Pity  our  motor-boat  isn't  bigger." 

"Aye,  aye,  sir,"  answered  Bates  in  the  prompt 
snappy  tones  he  imagined  used  by  sailors  on  war 
vessels. 

In  ten  minutes  the  provisions  had  been  stored 
away,  and  Algernon  climbed  into  the  car  and 
watched  the  sails  of  the  little  sloop  flap  strenuously 
as  the  gardener  and  Bates  ran  them  up  to  catch  the 
rapidly  freshening  breeze.  Algernon  had  intended 
to  go  himself,  but  how  could  he  leave  Molly  behind 
without  a  word,  without  letting  her  know  that  he 
forgave  her  and  wanted  her  back  again?  He 
watched  the  sail  slowly  rise  and  fill,  the  moorings 
cast  off  and  the  little  boat  swing  free  and  with  her 
white  sails  spread  start  gracefully  out  to  sea.  Then 
he  turned  the  car  and  ran  back  across  the  lawn  to 
the  side  terrace. 

As  he  approached,  Molly  came  out,  followed  by 
the  constable  and  James  and  Hancock.  Algernon 
brought  the  car  up  to  the  steps,  and  the  girl  went 
straight  down  them  to  him.  They  met  on  the  bot- 
tom step. 

401 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

"That's  the  constable,  Joe,"  she  whispered,  mo- 
tioning backward  with  her  head  toward  the  men  who 
had  hesitated  at  the  top  of  the  steps. 

"Come  for  me?"  asked  Algernon. 

The  girl  nodded.  "I  thought  you  were  going 
away  on  the  boat.  I  kept  him  in  the  drawing-room 
where  he  couldn't  see  what  was  going  on  as  long  as 
I  could.  Why  didn't  you  go,  Joe?" 

"I  couldn't  leave  you,  sweetheart.  I  am  a  thief, 
a  forger,  but  your  lover,  Molly  O'Toole.  Will  you 
have  me?"  He  held  out  his  hands  with  eyes  and 
thoughts  for  no  one  but  the  girl  before  him. 

"Yes,"  said  she  simply,  "for  I  love  you,  Joe." 

She  put  her  hands  in  his  and  he  raised  them 
gently  to  his  lips  and  kissed  first  one,  then  the  other. 
He  longed  to  take  her  in  his  arms,  but  no  Todd 
ever  forgot  himself  so  in  public  as  to  make  an  exhibi- 
tion of  His  deeper  feelings. 

"Molly!"  Hancock's  voice  was  sharp  with  pain 
and  he  started  'down  the  steps  and  then  stopped,  one 
hand  held  out  to  the  girl,  but  she  did  not  notice  it 
and  it  slowly  fell. 

"This  is  Holmes,  isn't  it?"  questioned  the  con- 
stable. "Joseph  Holmes?" 

"No,"  said  Algernon  calmly.  "You  have  made 
a  slight  mistake.  I  am  Algernon  Van  Rens^Uear 

402 


WITH    ALL    HER    FAULTS 

Todd.  Is  there  anything  I  can  do  for  you,  my 
man?" 

The  constable  turned  to  Hancock.  "You  pointed 
him  out  across  the  lawn  to  me  as  Holmes." 

"I  have  always  known  him  as  Holmes,"  returned 
Hancock  coldly,  reproachful  eyes  on  the  girl. 

"As  Joseph  Holmes,  Mrs.  Todd's  chauffeur?" 

"Yes.     Certainly." 

"Mrs.  Todd,  this  man  is  your  chauffeur?" 

The  girl  nodded.  She  felt  that  she  could  do  more 
for  Joe  if  she  still  concealed  her  identity  from  the 
constable.  The  Todds  had  a  great  deal  of  influence. 
She  might  be  able  to  get  him  out  on  bail  quicker  as 
Mrs.  Todd  than  as  Molly  O'Toole,  she  reasoned,  in 
her  ignorance  knowing  little  or  nothing  about  bail. 
His  claim  to  be  Algernon  Van  Rensellear  Todd  was 
foolish  and  she  could  not  understand  it.  Todd  had 
just  left  on  the  sloop  for  Canada.  Bored,  as  he  had 
told  her,  by  waiting  for  his  boiler  to  come,  and  hav- 
ing seen  Bates  busy  with  the  sloop,  the  idea  to  go 
to  Canada  by  water  came  to  him  and  he  decided 
to  act  upon  it,  though  Molly,  thinking  for  whom 
she  intended  the  sloop,  had  tried  to  put  him  off.  He 
had  spent  the  morning  with  them,  had  met  Hancock 
and  James  and  the  constable  in  the  character  of 
Todd,  had  been  so  introduced  to  them  all,  explain- 

403 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

ing  his  little  masquerade  as  Patterson  on  the  grounds 
of  a  joke. 

"You  have  known  him  as  Joseph  Holmes?"  asked 
the  constable. 

"Yes,"  said  the  girl  helplessly. 

"He  came  to  town  about  three  weeks  ago,  did  he 
not?" 

"Yes,  I  think  that  is  about  right" 

"From  New  York?" 

"He  said  so." 

Algernon  stepped  forward.  "This  is  foolish," 
said  he.  "I  am  Todd.  Algernon  Van  Rensellear 
Todd.  Jimmy,  old  sport,"  turning  to  him,  "you 
know  me.  Tell  them,  old  chap,  that  I'm  Todd." 

"Todd,"  said  James  Mortimer  Worth  coldly, 
gazing  languidly  across  the  lawn,  "Todd  is  a  stran- 
ger to  me,  practically.  I  met  a  gentleman  by  that 
name  this  morning,  but  really  I  know  nothing 
about  him  or  his  family." 

"Todd  has  been  around  all  the  morning,"  sneered 
the  constable.  "We  visited  with  him  a  spell  before 
you  came." 

"Todd?"  questioned  Algernon,  turning  to  Molly. 

The  girl  nodded,  her  eyes  full  of  compassion. 
"Patterson  was  really  Todd,  Joe,"  she  explained. 
"You  never  guessed  it,  but  I  have  known  since  that 

404 


TJ>  I 


Jimmy,  old  sport,  you  know  me. 


WITH    ALL    HER    FAULTS 

lawn  party  I  gave.  He  was  anxious  to  get  on  to 
Canada  and  asked  me  to  say  nothing  about  his 
identity  to  any  one.  That  is  why  he  hung  around 
the  place  so  and  I  couldn't  send  him  away  as  you 
told  me  to." 

"Molly!"  He  caught  her  hands  again  joyously. 
"You  thought  that  man  was  Todd  ?" 

"Why,  yes,  Joe.  I  have  known  he  was  for  a  long 
time." 

"Then  you  couldn't  have  sent  that  despatch?" 

"No,"  said  she  simply,  "I  didn't." 

"Sir,"  interrupted  the  constable,  "I  have  some 
papers  here — " 

Algernon  turned  impatiently.  "But  I  tell  you  I 
am  not  Holmes.  That  man  Patterson  is  Holmes. 
Jimmy,  old  boy,  don't  go  back  on  me.  You  know 
it  is  as  I  say.  Tell  them  so,  won't  you?" 

"Really,"  said  James,  "I  know  nothing  about  it. 
You  were  introduced  to  me  as  Holmes." 

Algernon,  thinking  desperately,  turned  and 
glanced  across  the  old  box-bordered  garden,  sim- 
mering in  the  morning  sunshine.  The  asters  were 
all  in  bloom  and  down  by  the  old  brick  wall,  under 
the  mulberry  tree,  a  stately  row  of  late  hollyhocks 
nodded  gracefully  to  the  onslaughts  of  the  bees.  The 
honeysuckle  still  clambered  over  the  summer-house 

405 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

in  the  corner  and  nasturtiums  rioted  in  profusion 
around  the  old  crumbling  sun-dial.  Beyond  the 
garden  was  a  sweep  of  lawn  and  beyond  that  the 
woods,  and  over  all  was  the  brooding  peace  and 
quiet  of  the  country. 

He  realized  with  sickening  conviction  how  help- 
less he  was  to  free  himself  until  his  mother  came 
or  he  could  telegraph  again  to  his  lawyers,  if  they 
would  let  him.  It  was  his  word  against  Molly's 
and  James'.  He  was  stamped  already  as  a  forger, 
Molly  was  Mrs.  Todd,  the  big  person  of  the  town, 
and  James  Mortimer  Worth  was  a  gentleman  equal- 
ly wealthy  and  above  reproach.  What  object  would 
either  of  them  have  to  swear  that  he  was  Holmes 
if  he  were  not?  None  at  all.  Here  he  was  caught, 
trapped,  absolutely  helpless,  to  be  shut  up  for  the 
time  until  he  could  get  help  or  be  taken  to  New 
York  as  a  criminal  in  the  hands  of  the  law.  The 
idea  was  infuriating,  intolerable.  And  yet  how 
could  he  prove  his  identity  even  to  Molly,  who 
would  gladly  have  helped  him?  All  the  time  they 
had  been  together,  he  had  consistently  swindled 
himself. 

He  glanced  in  desperation  from  the  constable  to 
Molly.  The  girl  was  leaning  against  the  stone  post 
of  the  balustrade,  head  thrown  up,  nervous  fingers 

406 


clasped  tightly  before  her.  The  attitude  recalled 
to  Algernon  a  night  in  early  summer,  a  girl  in  a 
white  dress  leaning  thus  against  a  high  sun-dial, 
head  thrown  back,  hands  clasped  before  her,  and  he 
himself  beside  her,  whispering  foolish  verses  of  his 
own  composition.  A  slow  sweet  smile  crossed  his 
face  like  sunlight  breaking  suddenly  from  behind 
a  storm-cloud.  He  stepped  forward  and  bent  low 
to  whisper  that  none  might  hear. 

"With  hair  as  black  as  the  devil's  heart, 
And  eyes  of  blue,  true  blue, 
In  whose  darkling  depths  I  lose  my  soul 
Whenever  I  come  to  woo  ; 

"With  skin  as  white  as  a  virgin's  thoughts, 
And  lips  like  a  scarlet  bow, 
For  whose  storehouse  of  honeyed  sweetness 
Mine  own  are  longing  so." 

His  voice  was  soft  and  gentle,  falling  with  a  ten- 
der cadence,  and  the  listening  girl  recalled  a  rose- 
garden  on  a  moonlit  night  in  June.  The  air  was 
heavy  with  the  scent  of  roses,  and  above  the  tree- 
tops  the  arch  of  the  young  moon  was  sinking  in  a 
sea  of  silver  light. 

"Algernon  Todd  ?"  she  whispered  fearfully,  with 
never  a  doubt  now  of  his  identity.  The  tones  in 
which  he  spoke  were  the  same  as  those  of  that  moon- 

407 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

lit  night  in  June,  and  the  verses  were  of  his  own 
composing,  known  only  to  himself  and  her. 

"When  I  want  to  find  a  way,  I  do,  Molly 
OToole,"  he  laughed. 

The  girl  turned  to  the  constable  and  waved  her 
hand  toward  the  last  dancing  glimpse  of  the  white- 
winged  sailboat  beating  its  way  out  to  sea.  "Mr. 
Holmes  went  away  on  that  boat,"  said  she.  "He  had 
done  me  a  service  once  and  I  helped  him  to  get 
away.  He  has  gone  so  far  now  I  do  not  believe  you 
can  overtake  him." 

"And  this  one?"  demanded  the  constable,  nodding 
at  Algernon. 

"This  one,"  laughed  Molly  O'Toole,  glancing 
gaily  at  Algernon,  "this  one  is  my  son,  Algernon 
Van  Rensellear  Todd." 

"Your  son?" 

"Stepson,  but  just  as  dear." 

The  constable  turned  to  Hancock.  "Is  it  so?  And 
were  you  simply  helping  her?" 

"Yes,"  said  Hancock,  accusing  eyes  still  on  the 
girl.  She  was  lying  again,  trying  to  get  her  lover 
free.  Well,  he  would  help  her.  He  saw  it  all  now. 
She  cared  for  this  penniless  rascal  who  had  tried  to 
escape  on  the  yacht  and  had  been  prevented  by  the 
sudden  appearance  of  the  owner,  and  had  only  pre- 
408 


WITH    ALL    HER    FAULTS 

tended  to  care  for  himself  because  of  his  money,  for- 
saking him  for  her  lover's  sake  when  the  test  came. 
"Yes.  I  did  what  I  could  to  help  her  friend.  This  is 
Todd.  I  knew  it  all  along." 

"So,"  growled  the  constable,  "you've  all  been 
helping  a  criminal  escape.  That  is  a  prison  offense, 
did  you  know  it?" 

"Yes,  but  I  can  fix  that.  Pull !"  returned  Alger- 
non Van  Rensellear  Todd  with  an  airy  wave  of  his 
hand. 

When  he  and  Molly  O'Toole  were  once  more 
alone  together,  Algernon  took  the  girl  in  his  arms 
and  kissed  her. 

"We  will  get  married  now,  to-day,"  he  declared. 
"It  kills  me,  Molly,  to  think  how  near  I  came  to  los- 
ing you." 

"I  know." 

"We  have  got  to  be  married  now,  and  then  you 
will  be  Mrs.  Todd." 

He  loosened  his  arms  from  around  her  and  caught 
her  two  small  hands.  For  a  moment  he  drank  her 
in  with  hungry  eyes,  then  he  turned  and  led  her  to 
the  stairs  in  the  great  hall  that  she  might  get  her 
hat. 

"Get  your  hat,"  said  he  sternly,  "and  meet  me  on 
409 


THE    UPPER    CRUST 

the  side  terrace  where  the  car  is.   We  shall  probably 
have  to  go  to  Brockton  for  the  license." 

He  looked  at  her,  eyes  still  dark  with  longing  and 
she  looked  back,  herself  again,  self-poised,  mis- 
chievous, joyous  laughter  fighting  with  the  love  in 
her  Irish  blue  eyes  and  twitching  the  corners  of  her 
crimson  mouth. 

,  "Algy,"  said  she,  "you  talk  as  if  I  were  your — 
your  rib." 

Algernon  paused  a  moment  and  stood  looking 
down  at  her,  while  his  face  softened  and  grew  ten- 
der. Then  he  chuckled  and  drew  her  to  him. 

"You  are  not  my  rib,  dear,"  he  whispered;  "my 
brains." 


THE  END 


JTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A     000130467    4 


